


With The Sun and The Sea Breeze

by Dooni_Cabooni, zerimagi



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Drunk first kiss, Drunkenness, Edelgard and Dimitri do not hate each other, Everyone Is Alive, F/F, First Kiss, M/M, My First AO3 Post, My First Fanfic, Pining, Sappy, Slow Burn, Useless Lesbians, everyone gets along, everyone is happy, not all characters of the game will be mentioned, reader may experience second-hand embarassment, title will make sense at the end I promise
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-08-26
Packaged: 2021-03-01 17:28:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 28
Words: 40,701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23940814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dooni_Cabooni/pseuds/Dooni_Cabooni, https://archiveofourown.org/users/zerimagi/pseuds/zerimagi
Summary: Edelgard, the star student and president of the student council, had never had a crush before. She was clueless, but that did not stop her from feeling jealous of those who did. She just figured it was something that was not for her until a new student arrives at Garreg Mach High School.★THIS IS STORY IS JUST ONE BIG DRAFT, AND IT WILL PROBABLY NOT BE REWRITTEN★
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/Claude von Riegan, Dorothea Arnault/Petra Macneary, Edelgard von Hresvelg/My Unit | Byleth, Felix Hugo Fraldarius/Sylvain Jose Gautier, Ferdinand von Aegir/Hubert von Vestra, Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 84
Kudos: 372





	1. Chapter 1

“That’s the bell, everyone. Please sit in your seats now,” Professor Hanneman announced to the class. “Now, class, today we will be continuing our discussion from last time on the wartime trade agreements between Albinea and Fodlan.” Hanneman pointed to the two countries on the map on his chalkboard. “Before that, I’d like to hand back your reports on the history of the kingdom of Faerghus.” 

Edelgard opened up her notebook to prepare for the lecture. She began by doodling the date and title on her notebook page; a small detail to most, but she did it anyway as it brought her the slightest ounce of joy.  This was interrupted by Hanneman as he placed her paper onto her desk. 

“Excellent work as always, Ms. Hresvelg,” Hanneman praised Edelgard. She noticed students turning around to look at her, attempting to see her scores. Hanneman’s class was notoriously hard; it was said by many students that it was impossible to earn a grade over eighty percent. In spite of this, Edelgard seldom got a grade below a ninety-five on any of her assignments and assessments in his class. 

She began to scan over her paper, looking for any markings and making mental notes on what to improve for next time.  A sudden creaking door snapped her out of focus. She  looked up from her paper t o see Sylvain, the class clown, and known womanizer, entering the lecture late. 

Sylvain strutted in, shooting finger guns at Hanneman. “Sorry I’m late, Hann. I saw a cute girl on my way here, and I couldn’t resist not walking her to class, which just so happened to be on the other side of the school,” Sylvain trailed off as he sheepishly smiled and took his seat. To say Hanneman was strict was an understatement. For many students, this man could make or break their GPAs. He had a zero-tolerance policy for tardiness, but somehow Sylvain became an exception. He eventually gave up on giving him detentions once he learned he would flirt his way out of detention, which was supervised by Ms. Casagranda, the chorus teacher. Sylvain, although a very big flirt, was actually quite smart. It probably angered Hanneman to the core that he could not simply fail the boy. 

Edelgard couldn’t help but roll her eyes at Sylvain’s obnoxious behavior.  While she did find it amusing how quickly Sylvain could anger Hanneman, she felt her stomach drop, a feeling she happened to be used to, yet still annoying . Propping her head up on one arm she sighed while trying to listen to the rest of the lecture. This class was of interest to her; she was planning to pursue a history-related major in college.

_Why did Sylvain’s story bother me so much today?_ _He literally uses the same excuse every other day. Why now?_ Edelgard questioned, unable to get out of her head and focus. As long as she can remember, she has never been this annoyed with Sylvain, but today she felt a sense of anger and couldn’t pinpoint why. She dismissed the thoughts and forced herself to focus on Hanneman. 

* * *

“Is something bothering you?” Hubert, Edelgard's best friend since primary school, asked her as they sat down at their usual lunch table.

“Nothing is bothering me,” Edelgard replied instinctively.

Dorothea took her seat at the lunch table and exclaimed, “That’s totally a lie!” 

“No, really. Nothing is wrong,” Edelgard said, trying to get her friends off of her back. 

“Come on, Edie! Something’s obviously got you down. You haven't even mentioned the student council meeting after school once! There has to be something else on your mind.” Dorothea whined. 

“Oh, I guess I forgot we had that today,” Edelgard replied sheepishly, looking down, embarrassed for making such a mistake. 

Dorothea dramatically gasped. “How could Garreg Mach High School’s own student council president, Lady Edelgard Hrsvelg, forget such an important day! If something really hasn’t gotten you distracted you might be sick, Edie. You should go see the nurse.” She placed the back of her palm on Edelgard’s forehead as if to check her temperature.

“Oh please,” Edelgard dismissed Dorothea’s remarks. She turned to Hubert. “You will be there, right, Hubert?” she asked her Vice President, in an attempt to get the attention off of herself.

“Why of course, don’t forget we have to choose who will help give a tour to the new student that is arriving tomorrow.” 

“Oh right, a new student.” She felt embarrassed that she had completely forgotten. “Well, I’m positive we will have many volunteers,” Edelgard shrugged. She figured she would not have to do too much as typically every other student jumps on the new student as if they had never seen another human before.

Dorothea yawned. “Well… enough about that. Hubie, how's your boyfriend?” Dorothea cooed as she tapped her fingers against the table.

Hubert, usually pale as a ghost, immediately grew a bright red with embarrassment. “What the hell are you talking about?” 

“You know exactly who!” Dorothea winked as she gestured towards another lunch table where a familiar redheaded boy sat.

“He is not my boyfriend. We just went out for coffee to study together a few times, Dorothea” Hubert trailed off. 

“Uh-huh, so it’s normal for two bros to go out for coffee and study every weekend?” Dorothea asked, unconvinced the two boys were “just friends” as Hubert insisted.

“Of course. As I stated, we were just studying.” Hubert emphasized his word as he gave his signature ice-cold glare in Dorothea’s direction. 

“Okay, so even the day after finals last year, you two were still ‘studying?’” Dorothea questioned, desperate for any confession of affection. 

Hubert looked away in defeat. He looked down at this phone to avoid any further embarrassing questioning. Dorothea grinned knowing she had cornered Hubert. 

“You know, Hubert, I can always give you some advice if you want to make it official,” Dorothea offered. 

Hubert looks up at her, offended by her words. 

“Okay, well I guess I’ll leave you here with the love doctor, Hubert,” Edelgard said dryly as she stood up from the table.“See you guys later.”

Dorothea and Hubert watched as Edelgard exited the Cafeteria, both confused by her sudden departure.

Dorothea felt a slight pang of guilt, worried she pushed Edelgard too far with her playful banter. 

“I wonder what’s bothering her?” Dorothea pondered aloud. 

“I’ll ask her later. It is unusual for her to upset so quickly, but I doubt it was anything you did. If anything, what you said most likely just pushed her a little too far after something that had bothered her earlier,” Hubert reassured Dorothea.

* * *

“Let’s get started. Now, is everyone here?” Edelgard asked as she looked around the classroom, looking for her fellow officers. After giving the room a cursory scan, she placed her laptop on the podium at the front. She scrolled through an itinerary she had thrown together during her study hall. The prior events from history class and lunch were still ringing through her head; she hoped this would not throw her over the edge.

“Is Dr. Seteth not going to be here today?” Ignatz, the student council secretary, asked. 

“No, he isn’t,” Edelgard said. “He called me into his office during study hall to tell me.” She could hear the group collectively sigh. 

“Finally! Now we can breathe,” Annette, one of the student representatives cheered. Edelgard sympathized with the group; Dr. Seteth could suck the life out of a room just by looking into it. 

“Well, breathe all you want I suppose, I’m going to start with the message Dr. Seteth wanted me to deliver,” Edelgard cleared her throat and began to read off the message she had typed up on her laptop. “There will be a new student transferring to Garreg Mach High tomorrow. Principal Rhea would like two members of the student council to show the student around. You will be excused from your first-period class.” The members of the council smiled with excitement, eager to volunteer. She pointed at Hubert who had his hand raised. 

Hubert stood up, “I have caught wind that the new student is Coach Eisner's daughter. I just thought that would be necessary to share.” Suddenly, those faces of eagerness disappeared. 

_ Huh, are people really that afraid of Coach Eisner? I heard he’s a tough coach, but are people really that afraid of him? I’ll have to ask Dimitri sometime.  _

“That being said, who wants to give the new student a tour?” Edelgard asked, only to be met with dead silence. Anyone she looked at made sure to avoid making eye contact with her. Seeing as nobody else wanted to give the tour, she felt compelled to offer. “If nobody else wants to, Hubert and I can do it,” Edelgard volunteered. “Are there any objections?” She was met with silence once again. She took this as a sign of no objections. “Well then, I guess we should continue. We can move on to brainstorming some ideas for future events. Lorenz, you can take it from here.” 

“Why thank you, President,” Lorenz bowed to Edelgard as he strutted to the podium. She couldn't help rolling her eyes at his extravagant behavior. 

She took her seat next to Hubert, who had been staring at Ferdinand von Aegir. She propped her head up with her hand and gave a loud sigh. Hubert noticing this, glanced towards his friend. Edelgard Hresvelg, Garreg Mach High School’s student council president, always poise and sitting up proudly, now slumped over in her chair. 

* * *

Once the meeting concluded, Edelgard put away her belongings as the others left. She could overhear Hubert and Ferdinand talking. They were making plans for another “study arrangement” as they were calling them.

“Are you ready to go, Hubert?” Edelgard asked brashly.

“Text me later?” Ferdinand asked Hubert with puppy-dog eyes. 

“We’ll see,” Hubert smirked at Ferdinand as he left the classroom with Edelgard. 

Edelgard felt lucky she lived close to the school. Hubert lived close to her house, so it was their routine to walk home together. The walk home was typically filled with small talk about their day and sharing rumors and drama they had heard from others, usually Dorothea, but today Edelgard was silent. She looked toward the ground, kicking any stone that came in her way, and had a small pout on her face. 

“Now, that pebble didn’t do anything to you,” Hubert teased in an attempt to lighten the mood, but Edelgard showed no change whatsoever. “What’s the matter with you?” Hubert asked, slightly annoyed by her strange behavior. “You left lunch after Dorothea mentioned Ferdinand and you kept quiet during the meeting. If something is bothering you I would hope you would tell me.” 

“As I said earlier, nothing is wrong,” Edelgard grumbled, annoyed that Hubert was trying to bring up the conversation from earlier.

Hubert stopped in his tracks in an attempt to buy some time to get Edelgard to confess what was wrong. “It could be that you’re jealous,” Hubert mused as he watched Edelgard tense up. 

Edelgard was silent, she kept her gaze toward the ground. Hubert’s smirk fell. He stepped closer to Edelgard cautiously. He placed a hand tenderly on her shoulder. 

“Please let me know what’s bothering you,” Hubert pleaded. As much as he enjoyed teasing her, he hated to see his best friend so upset. 

Edelgard felt tears begin to well up in her eyes. She tried to hold her emotions back. “I don't know, everything! Maybe I am jealous of whatever you and Ferdinand have. I feel like you’re going to go off to have your happily ever after with him and I’ll be left by myself, but I don’t want to be selfish and hold you back,” she felt herself rambling as the tears fell out.

“So you’re jealous that I might possibly have a ‘crush’ on Ferdinand?” Hubert asked as he watched Edelgard’s tears fall. 

“Yes,” Edelgard grumbled. She felt like a child. “Even you, who rarely smiles can get someone to fall for you! My stepbrother, who is the biggest loner at school even has himself a boyfriend! What am I doing wrong?” 

“You’re not doing anything wrong. As Lorenz would say ‘love takes time to blossom into a beautiful flower.’” Hubert mocked Lorenz’s flamboyant aura, spinning and throwing his hands around. “And you don’t have to worry about me forgetting about you either. Aren’t we supposed to overthrow the government together?” Hubert chuckled, remembering the schemes they planned up in their younger years. 

Edelgard began to smile at the memory and wiped her eyes. “I suppose you’re right, I’m sorry, Hubert.” Before she had even realized it, they had made it to her house. “Well, I guess I’ll talk to you later. See you tomorrow,” Edelgard said as she entered her house. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Thank you so much for reading! Please leave a comment. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and are excited for the next one, I will see you all next Friday!
> 
> <3 - Dooni


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The new student finally arrives at Garreg Mach High!

Edelgard woke up early that morning, eager to start the new day. She brushed her teeth, threw on her clothes, and rushed out the door, not waiting for her brother or Hubert. Once she made it into the school she checked her phone. 7:20 am. Fifteen minutes before the first period was supposed to begin. She quickly made her way to Principal Rhea’s office. 

When she made it to the doors outside the office, Hubert was there waiting for her. “You’re awfully chipper this morning,” he noted, relieved that she seemed to be feeling better compared to where they left off the prior day. 

“Is it wrong to be excited about a new student? Plus I at least want to try to make a good impression,” Edelgard said as she reached for the door handle. She cracked the door open and peeked her head inside. 

“Come in!” Ms. Rhea, the principal, called out. She must have heard the door open.

Edelgard and Hubert stepped inside and noticed the two other figures standing in front of her desk. One was the familiarly tall figure that is Coach Eisner. Next to him was a girl. She was a few inches shorter with choppy mako green hair, a stark difference from the gym teacher’s dirty blond. Her piercing blue eyes stared into Edelgard’s. _I guess that must be Coach Eisner’s daughter…_ Edelgard thought to herself. Her heart began to loudly beat. The girl gave a shy smile to the two who just arrived. Edelgard did the same, but a light blush covered her cheeks.

“This is Byleth, Coach Eisner’s daughter,” Rhea announced. “This is Edelgard Hresvelg and Hubert Vestra, our student council president and vice president respectively.” She gestured her hand towards the two of them. “They have volunteered to show you around our school this morning.”

“Edelgard, it looks like you and Byleth will be in some of the same classes. Please offer her assistance if she needs any.” Seteth requested.

“Of course!” Edelgard agreed. 

“Well, since it looks like you are all here, you can begin with your tour. Byleth, I hope you enjoy life here at Garreg Mach High School,” Rhea smiled, dismissing the three students. 

* * *

The three students stood in the hallway after exiting the office. There was a bit of awkward silence until Hubert decided to speak up.

“Hello, It’s nice to meet you.” Hubert reached out his hand, and Byleth accepted.

“It is nice to meet you, too,” Byleth said, smiling at Hubert. That smile made Edelgard’s heart feel like it was going to burst out of her chest. 

“Well, let’s get started with the tour!” Edelgard laughed as she tried to calm her heart, confused by her sudden palpitations. 

The trio began the tour by searching for Byleth’s locker, eventually finding it in the science wing of the school.

“Usually we all just carry our belongings with us throughout the day, but if you do any sports you can leave your equipment in your locker,” Hubert explained as they walked the silent halls. Edelgard nodded in agreement, even though she was lagging behind. 

_I want to say something, but what can I say?_ Edelgard asked herself, worried that soon students would pour out of their classrooms, sweeping Byleth away for her to never be seen again. 

“Hey, Byleth, what’s your favorite subject?” Edelgard asked in an attempt to break the ice. 

“I absolutely love science. I’m actually planning on studying Marine Biology in college. I find sea creatures absolutely mesmerizing.” 

_Oh my gods, she’s adorable._ Edelgard noticed how Byleth’s eyes lit up when she talked about oceanic life. 

“I know exactly how you feel! I’m the same way about history,” Edelgard said. “I find it really fascinating studying how people used to live, plus the misconceptions and mistakes they made and how we can apply that now.” 

Hubert felt a grin grow on his face as he heard the two girls speak so passionately about what they loved. He was positive a strong friendship would grow between the two of them. 

They had finally made it around the entire school. 

“I believe that concludes our tour of Garreg Mach. Any questions?” Hubert asked. 

“I don’t believe so,” Byleth replied, looking slightly intimidated by the aura Hubert possessed.

“Well if you have any later you can always ask me!” Edelgard blurted out. “I can give you my number so you can text me if you get lost or something.”

“That works for me,” Byleth said as she handed Edelgard her phone.

“If that is all, I’d better get to class. I’ll see you two later,” Hubert said as he walked off. 

Edelgard glanced over Byleth’s shoulder to see her schedule, she noticed the girl had the same history class as her. She did a mental cheer, then she realized that she needed to get her to class.“Oh, your next class is math?" I'll walk you to it, it's just down the hall this way.

* * *

“And who might this be?” Dorothea asked as she took her seat at the lunch table; A figure she didn’t recognize sat next to Edelgard, a spot reserved for Hubert, who, much to his dismay, was forced to sit next to Dorothea. 

“Oh, uh, hey, I’m Byleth. I just transferred here today, It’s nice to meet you.” 

“Sweet! Finally some new people around here! Nice to meet you, I’m Dorothea,” She said, winking at Byleth. 

“Beep beep beep,” the annoying imitation of an alarm came from the womanizing redheaded figure himself, who walked up to the table the group was sitting at. 

_Oh gods damnit, why him?_ Edelgard mentally cursed.

“Looks like my cutie tracker is going off the charts!” the redhead exclaimed as he took a seat next to Byleth, pointing at her face. 

Byleth was dumbstruck. She clearly did not know how to react to a stranger sticking their finger in her face claiming their “cutie tracker” was going off. 

“The name is Sylvain, and you are?” 

“Um, I’m Byleth, it’s nice to meet you?” 

“Oh please, the pleasure is all mine,” Sylvain winked, taking Byleth’s hand into his own and placing a kiss on the back of it. “Would you like to come sit with me and my friends at our table?” 

Byleth’s face became bright red, she was not used to this sort of treatment from classmates. 

“Um, I’ll pass, but thank you for the offer, though,” Byleth declined quietly, “I’m fine over here.” 

Edelgard felt her face grow hot. The moment Sylvain had kissed her hand, she wanted to punch him in his stupid face. “Sylvain,” Edelgard grumbled angrily. “Go back to your table” Each word she punctuated. Her eyes were shooting daggers at Sylvain. 

“Well, if you ever do change your mind, Byleth, I shall be waiting for you. Goodbye for now!” Sylvain blew a kiss towards Byleth as he ran off towards his table. 

“Wow, your first day and you are already breaking hearts!” Dorothea teased. “Were you a heartbreaker at your old school as well? I’m sure you had a ton of boyfriends at your old school!” 

Edelgard noticed Byleth tense up, she seemed to grow uncomfortable at the mention of boyfriends. 

“Hey, let’s give her a break. It’s only her first day,” Edelgard said, feeling an overwhelming sense of duty to protect Byleth. She looked at the girl sitting next to her and gave her a smile. Byleth looked up at her, her blue eyes pierced through Edelgard. Her heart started to rush again, making her feel dizzy, almost as if she was going to pass out. 

“Okay,” Dorothea pouted, but it did not last long. She turned toward Hubert with an evil smile growing on her face. “Your turn!” 

Hubert groaned, knowing what was going to come out of this. 

Dorothea nudged Hubert’s side with her elbow, “Come on, Hubie. Let me help you out! I know you want me to!”

“I would rather live in the Valley of Torment before I asked you for help with my love life,” Hubert retorted. Edelgard was positive that if it were not for the law, Dorothea would be dead. 

“I’m a whiz at getting couples together. Ask anyone! Ask Dimitri and Claude!” 

“You essentially blackmailed Dimitri into asking Claude out,” Edelgard accused.

“And they’re fine. Two years and they’re still going strong!” Dorothea cheered. “Honestly, I’m surprised he actually went through with doing it, though. The photo I was gonna use was honestly not _that_ bad.”

“Yes it was,” Edelgard and Hubert said in unison. 

“I still have no idea what compelled him to grow his hair out that long and wear an eyepatch every single day of 7th grade,” Edelgard said, shivering in disgust. 

“Even my emo phase was not that bad.” Hubert laughed. 

“Phase? Please, you’re still emo,” Dorothea snapped. “Anyways,” she held up her phone to Hubert

“How did you get that?” Hubert demanded, eyes widening at whatever the photo on her phone was. 

“I have my ways. You know the deal, we’ll talk later,” Dorothea teased. 

Dorothea and Hubert were interrupted by muffled giggles coming from across the table. Edelgard was showing Byleth something on her phone, most likely the embarrassing photo. Hubert shot his signature menacing glare at Edelgard. Edelgard stuck her tongue out at Hubert. 

* * *

“I hope you had a good first-day Byleth. Don’t hesitate to text me if you need anything.” Edelgard said as she smiled at the other girl.

“Will do,” Byleth said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” She walked toward the athletic office. 

“That was an eventful day” Hubert sighed as he and Edelgard began their walk home. 

“Yeah,” Edelgard replied. She was lost in her thoughts once again. 

“You like the new girl?” Hubert asked.

“Yeah, she’s really pretty,” Edelgard stopped walking, suddenly realizing what she had said. “I mean pretty cool!”

“Is that so?” Hubert grinned.

“You must not tell anyone about this,” Edelgard demanded, “especially Dorothea.” 

“Come on, she would be so happy. New love!” Hubert makes his voice sing-songy, attempting to mimic Dorothea. 

“Do what you will, but I’m not going to say anything until you say something to Ferdinand.”. 

“Okay, I'll drop it for now.” 

That night, Edelgard laid in her bed, thinking about the new student, Byleth. She never felt that nervous talking to someone before, and while it got easier throughout the day, she still felt a bit apprehensive. 

_It’s just because she is really pretty and I wanted to make a good impression,_ Edelgard reasoned within herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! Would you prefer to have more than 1 update a week? Please let me know!
> 
> Have a wonderful day/night! - Dooni


	3. Chapter 3

“Class, I would like to begin today by introducing our new addition, Byleth Eisner,” Professor Essar said. “Would you like to introduce yourself, Byleth?”

“Uh, okay, I guess,” Byleth said as she stood up from her seat. All of the students turned to face her. “My name is Byleth. It's nice to meet you all.” Edelgard could see how flustered she was, her cheeks a bright red. 

“Thank you. Now, today we will be continuing our discussion of the establishment of the Adrestrian Empire.”

Edelgard looked to her left. Byleth was sitting there. She noticed Byleth’s eyebrows furrow as she attempted to follow along with the lecture.

“Hey, I can send you my notes later, and I could help make sure you understand what’s going on. Is that cool?” Edelgard whispered to the girl next to her.

“Yes, that would be really helpful,” Byleth nodded. 

“We can meet up at my place this weekend if that works for you.”

During her study hall, Edelgard took and sent the pictures she promised Byleth. She put her phone away and began to work on her homework. As the bell rang she instinctively pulled out her phone to check it. One new text message from Byleth appeared. **Thank you so much! <3**

A pink blush bloomed across Edelgard’s cheeks.

* * *

Edelgard woke up early Saturday morning and remembered that Byleth was coming over today. “Oh gods,” Edelgard whispered to herself, blushing profusely at the idea of Byleth coming to her house. She began to organize her room in a panic, imagining scenarios of everything that could go wrong. A ding snapped her out of her cleaning induced trance. She held her breath as she grabbed the phone. Her eyes scanned the words on the screen. 

**Good morning! I forgot to ask you for your address last night… whoops.**

Edelgard mentally facepalmed, mortified that she had completely forgotten. _Of course. I’m so sorry about that! Let me know when you’re outside!_ Edelgard hit send and sat on her bed, trying to calm herself once again. She looked to her side, seeing her cat, Anselma, sitting on the bed. She reached out to pet the cat. “You better behave missy,” Edelgard said. The cat simply tilted her head. 

Once she had finished cleaning her room and getting her materials laid out, she relocated herself to the couch in the living room to anxiously await Byleth’s arrival. She decided to watch Dimitri and Claude play Just Dance in the meantime. 

“Dimitri, can’t we just start already?” Claude whined. 

“Not yet, honey, we have to stretch first,” Dimitri said as he stretched his legs out. 

Both boys were extremely athletic; Dimitri was the captain of the soccer team while Claude was the captain of the archery team. Claude was easy-going while Dimitri overthought the smallest of things, and yet somehow they made it work. 

“What’s up to, El? You look like you’re about to have a heart attack,” Claude said. Usually, Edelgard would have made fun of her stepbrother for being so serious, but today she was just staring at her phone. 

“Oh!” Edelgard was snapped out of her thoughts. “Nothing. I’m just waiting for a friend to arrive.” 

“If you say so,” Claude shrugged as he continued to stretch with Dimitri. 

As if on cue, Edelgard’s phone buzzed. She jumped up and rushed to the door to open it. 

“Come in,” Edelgard gestured and Byleth entered the house. “Let’s work in my room. My stepbrother has his boyfriend over, and they're hogging the living room.”

“That works for me! I’m just grateful that someone is helping me,” Byleth said as she followed Edelgard. 

“Hey, you’re Coach Eisner’s kid, right?” Claude asked, seeing the two girls attempting to sneak by. 

“I am. And you’re Claude, right? My dad talks about you a lot,” Byleth said.

“I bet. I know he loves me!” Claude affirmed.

“Coach Eisner is a good man. If his character has rubbed off on you, I have no problem with you being friends with my sister,” Dimitri said.

“Uh,” Byleth stammered at the hulking presence that was Dimitri. 

“Well, we’re going to be in my room working, so please don’t be too loud.” Edelgard grabbed Byleth’s hand and led her through the living room and up the stairs into her room. Edelgard released a breath she didn’t realize she was holding. “I’m so sorry about that. My stepbrother can be quite overbearing at times. I hope he didn't scare you.”

“It’s okay! It’s nice to see that he cares for you so much,” Byleth laughed, pulling her notebook out of the bag she brought. They both sat on the floor. When Byleth sat down, Anselma came over and jumped into her lap. “Oh! Um, Hi kitty,” Byleth said, a little hesitant to touch the cat. 

“Anselma!” Edelgard scolded, squinting her eyes at the cat. Anselma could care less. “I’m sorry about that. Would you like me to move her?” Byleth shook her head

“That’s okay! She’s so cute. I didn’t know you had a cat, though,” Byleth laughed, beginning to gently stroke Anselma’s head with a single finger. 

“Do you like cats?” Edelgard asked. Byleth nodded her head

“They are really cute, but I never had one, so I don’t really know how to act around them, I guess,” Byleth chuckled. Anselma decided she had enough of the attention, jumping out of Byleth’s lap and running out of the room, nudging the door open wider. 

“Little brat,” Edelgard said under her breath. “So, what’s giving you the most problems?”

“Well, I keep confusing the War of Heroes and the War of the Eagle and Lion,” Byleth said, flipping through her notebook to find the page of notes. 

“Oh, okay. Well, I think it’s really important to remember that the War of Heroes was fought between the forces of Saint Seiros and Nemesis, the King of Liberation. As for the War of the Eagle and Lion, that was against the people of the Adrestrian Empire and the people in the northern region of Faerghus. That war was a direct result of the War of Heroes and lead to the founding of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus.” Edelgard explained as Byleth listened attentively. 

The two girls continued working for an hour, double-checking all of Byleth’s notes and clarifying anything that still confused her. The girls sat in silence as they read through their notebooks one last time. 

“I should probably be heading home now,” Byleth said, as she gathered her belongings, a hint of disappointment was in her voice.

“Oh, okay. Well, let me at least walk you out,” Edelgard offered as she opened her bedroom door. 

As the two girls walked down the stairs, they could still hear yelling from the living room. 

“Dimitri, move! I can’t dance with you so close to me,” Claude huffed. The two boys were still playing Just Dance and the competition was getting fierce. 

“Maybe you’re getting in my way!” Dimitri retorted. 

Edelgard led Byleth to the front door, and they both stepped outside. 

“Thank you so much for helping me out today, Edelgard,” Byleth said with a smile. A pink blush spread across Byleth’s cheeks as she made eye contact with Edelgard. 

“Of course! I know we were doing work, but I still had a lot of fun,” Edelgard replied. 

“I’ll see you Monday. Thanks again!” Byleth said as she began to walk down the porch steps. 

“Get home safe,” Edelgard waved. When Byleth made it down the street, she headed back inside. She felt her heart begin to ache. It hadn’t even been five minutes and she already missed Byleth’s company. 

_I just want a stronger friendship with her, that's all._


	4. Chapter 4

“Hello, ladies!” Sylvain said as he approached Edelgard’s lunch table and took a seat. 

“What do you want, Sylvain?” Edelgard groaned, her headache already beginning. 

“Aw, no need to be like that. I just wanted to invite you guys to my Halloween party this weekend!” Sylvain said. “It’s gonna be epic.” 

“Count us three in!” Dorothea replied as she grabbed the hands of Byleth and Edelgard. “Hubert, you should come too! You can do a couples costume with Ferdie!”

“Absolutely not,” Hubert shot Dorothea down immediately. 

“Okay, Mr. Grumpy-pants,” Dorothea retorted. She turned towards Sylvain. “Byleth, Edie, and I will be there.” 

“Sweet! I’ll text you the details. See you guys there!” Sylvain popped up from his seat and walked off. 

“Dorothea, are you sure we should be going to something like that?” Edelgard asked. 

“Of course we should! Think of all the hot guys that are gonna be there.” 

Edelgard rolled her eyes. “I don’t even have a costume to wear.” 

“You’ll figure it out, don’t worry,” Dorothea assured Edelgard. “Byleth, what are you going to wear?” 

“I think I have a pirate costume that I wore for Halloween last year. It should hopefully still fit,” Byleth said. 

“That sounds so cute!” Dorothea exclaimed.

* * *

Edelgard finished her math assignment early, so she decided to dedicate her extra time to brainstorming ideas of costumes she could make in two days.

 _It’s Thursday, so I only really have tonight, tomorrow and Saturday morning to get stuff together._ Her mind was drawing blanks, she couldn’t just show up as herself. _I guess I have no other choice_. 

On her way to the student council meeting she sent a text to Dorothea. **Hey, do you mind helping me throw together a costume?**

Dorothea’s response was immediate. **You want ME? To help you?**

**Yes. Can you come over after school? I have a student council meeting, but it should be quick.**

**OF COURSE! I have chorus practice today. We should be done around the same time.**

Edelgard gave a sigh of relief.

* * *

“Edie!” Dorothea exclaimed as she ran down the steps at the entrance of the school to where Edelgard and Hubert stood. The trees around them shedding their leaves, creating piles along the sidewalks. 

“You ready for Saturday?” Dorothea asked.

“To be honest, no,” Edelgard huffed. 

“It’s going to be fine! Trust me, Edie. Plus Byleth will be there with us, too!” Dorothea winked as she walked alongside Edelgard and Hubert. “You’re working yourself up over nothing. It’s just a party,” Dorothea shrugged. “And even if anything does go wrong, you have nothing to fear, for Dorothea is here!” she exclaimed as she jumped along the sidewalk in her usual overly animated manner. Hubert lagged behind, enjoying the spectacle named Dorothea. 

“Well, I'll see you two tomorrow. Good luck, Edelgard,” Hubert said as he began to walk towards his house, which happened to be a little further down the street from Edelgard’s.

“Bye, Hubie! Say hi to your boyfriend for me!” Dorothea teased as she waved goodbye to him. He glared and stuck his middle finger up at her, no longer worrying about the strict school rules. 

* * *

“Alright, let’s see what we have to work with,” Dorothea said as she threw Edelgard’s closet doors open. Edelgard sighed as she sat on her bed, watching Dorothea make a mess of her room. 

“Nothing too crazy, please,” Edelgard requested. 

“I know, I know,” Dorothea replied, continuing to rummage through the closet. “Ah, here!” She gathered the clothes she had picked out and tossed them to Edelgard.

Edelgard’s mouth gaped open in shock. “I can’t wear this.” 

“What? Of course you can! Trust me, you’ll look so cute,” Dorothea pleaded.

Memories of Edelgard’s embarrassing middle school years came flooding back; a time she wished she could forget. Dorothea handed her a checkered tank top, an intentionally ripped pair of black tights, and a miniskirt. _Why do I still have all of this?_

“Come on, try it on!” Dorothea urged, turning around to give Edelgard some privacy.

Edelgard figured it was futile to fight back. She changed into the clothes and was shocked they still fit her 5 years later. “Okay, I’m changed,” Edelgard announced as she adjusted the tank top.

Dorothea squealed “Gods! You look amazing!” 

“Honestly, I can’t tell if you are being sarcastic or not,” Edelgard sighed as she walked over to her dresser, her jewelry box on top. She opened it, looking for any jewelry that could complete the look. She found a clip-on nose ring, a black choker, and several bracelets. “Should I add these?” Edelgard asked, holding out the jewelry she found in her hands. 

“Duh,” Dorothea replied, playing with Edelgard’s hair. “It’s a shame your hair is already straight, then I could have flat ironed it.”

“Are you positive I don’t look dumb?” Edelgard asked, chewing her lip nervously as she looked in her mirror. 

“Edie, you look adorable! I’m positive Byleth will like it!” Dorothea said in an attempt to convince her friend.

 _Byleth is going to see this? Byleth is going to see this. I can’t wear this, I’ll look like a fool in front of her._  
“Listen here, missy!” Dorothea snapped her finger to get Edelgard’s attention, “You look adorable. Everyone will think so. Now you are going to go to this party and you will have fun!” Dorothea demanded, “Plus it’s a chance for you to talk to Byleth more. Maybe make a move?” 

Edelgard froze. “What are you talking about? She’s just a friend,” Edelgard said defensively.

“Oh, honey, I see how you look at that girl. If that’s how you look at all your friends, we would’ve been married years ago,” Dorothea laughed. “I can always help you if you want, though.” 

“Thanks for the offer, but I think I’ll pass.” Edelgard said.“I don't like her like that.” 

“Whatever you say, Edie. I think you should go with this costume, though. I really mean it when I say you look adorable.”

Edelgard continued to look in the mirror. She hated to admit it but she was beginning to like the outfit. “Fine, I’ll wear it.”

“Yay! Now that wasn’t so hard,” Dorothea clapped her hands together. “I’m glad I could help!” 

“Thanks. You’re a lifesaver,” Edelgard chuckled as she opened her bedroom door to walk Dorothea downstairs.

“What can I say? People do say I’m a miracle worker,” Dorothea shrugged as she followed Edelgard. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Edie!” She waved as she left. 

Edelgard shut the door and began to walk towards the kitchen to grab a snack. Dimitri was sitting on top of a kitchen counter, scrolling through his phone. 

Dimitri wheezed, “What are you wearing?” 

“Shut it, eye-patch boy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! I just wanted to say thank you so much for reading our fic. This is the first time either Dani or I have worked on a fic, and it's been incredibly humbling to see such a positive response. Every kudos or comment added warms my heart. With that said please keep up the feedback, and I hope you enjoyed this week's chapter!
> 
> I want to say two more things before I sign off. First is we currently have nearly thirty chapters already written, so we may transition into posting two or three times a week. Second is that you guys should check out With the Sun and the Sea Breeze by Android Apartment. If you couldn't tell, that song inspired the name for our fic!
> 
> Until next Friday!  
> -Zeri/Emmie


	5. Chapter 5

Edelgard was relaxing on her bed, reading a novel, and trying to not think about the party she had to go to in a few hours. She toyed with the idea of not showing up, figuring Dorothea probably wouldn’t notice, as she would be too busy flirting with everyone at the party. Edelgard furrowed her brow as she weighed the pros and cons. A message from Byleth popped up on her phone. 

**Happy Halloween! See you tonight!**

It was a simple message, short and sweet, but it made Edelgard’s heart rush. She decided that she was definitely going to the party. **Happy Halloween to you, too! I’ll see you at Sylvain’s.**

Looking at the time, Edelgard realized she needed to get ready. She was grateful that her parents were away again, spending the last mild weekends at their mountain house. This meant she could leave the house without having to worry about getting lectured. 

_Okay, you can do this. You do not look dumb, you do not look dumb._ Edelgard repeated positive affirmations as she got changed. Her self-consciousness was growing. She looked at herself in the mirror. She grabbed her phone off of her desk and took a picture to send to Hubert. **How does this look? Do I look stupid? Be honest.** Edelgard knew she didn't have to tell Hubert to be honest, but she did not want him to hold back. 

**Looks familiar. Are you going as middle school Edelgard? Jokes aside, it looks fine by my standards.**

She took that as a sign of approval and began to put on the several bracelets she picked out. Her phone dinged. It was Hubert again.

**Ferdinand says hello, and he likes the costume as well.**

Edelgard replied with nothing but a wink emoji. She placed her phone back down and looked in the mirror one final time. She still felt a little silly, but she figured that people will be so drunk they will not even remember if she was there. After doing some more digging around in her closet, she had found a denim jacket that she threw over her bare arms. She got cold pretty easily, so a tank top at the end of October was not the greatest idea. 

_Okay. I can do this._ She took a deep breath as she walked out of her room and down the stairs. She noticed Dimitri and Claude sitting on the couch together. Claude was wearing one of Dimitri’s shirts and Dimitri was wearing one of Claude’s. 

“What are you two suppose to be?” Edelgard asked.

“Why, I am him, and he is me!” Claude replied. Dimitri nodded his head. He made it obvious that he was forced to do this. 

“Are we ready to go?” Claude asked enthusiastically. Edelgard gave a nod in response. 

“Let’s get going, then.” The three walked outside and got into the car Dimitri and Edelgard shared. The drive was relatively quiet. “El, listen up,” Dimitri said, breaking the silence. “Be careful. Don’t drink too much, don’t leave your drink unattended, and if you need anything text me.” Edelgard just nodded in response. 

“Huh, I don’t think I’ve ever heard you talk to Edelgard like that,” Claude hummed, “You’re acting like a real big brother, even though there are only a few months between you two.” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m just trying to look out for her,” Dimitri shrugged. 

* * *

They arrived at Sylvain’s house. Dimitri parked the car in the street. The three of them got out and began to walk to the front door. Edelgard saw several groups walking toward the house. She did not recognize even half of these people. She doubted the majority of them even went to Garreg Mach. Some carried cases of alcohol in with them. 

“Hey Dimitri, what do we do if the cops show up?” Edelgard asked, anxious about anything and everything that could go wrong. 

“It’s unlikely they’ll be called since, as you can see, Sylvain kind of lives in a mansion. Nobody lives close enough to make a noise complaint. If they do show up, though, try to sneak out of the house, but don’t run if they see you.” Dimitri explained. “And don’t forget what I told you in the car.” Dimitri whispered in Edelgard’s ear as they entered the packed house. Dimitri and Claude spotted Sylvain immediately and they made their way over to him. Claude fist bumped him. 

“What’s good, man?” Claude asked as he put some cash in Sylvain’s hand.

“Not much, man. Thanks for coming, you two look adorable,” Sylvain replied as he shoved the money in his pocket. “I got you the drinks you wanted. They’re under the kitchen table so no one else can take them,” Sylvain told Claude. 

“Aw thanks, man, you’re the best!” Claude pulled him into a bro hug. 

“Hey Edelgard, glad you made it! I think I saw Dorothea and Byleth chilling in the kitchen,” Sylvain said as he pointed down the hallway.

“Oh, okay, thanks,” Edelgard nodded as she followed his directions. 

“Edie! Over here!” Dorothea waved, sitting on a stool next to Byleth. Edelgard walked over and Dorothea jumped up to give her a hug. Dorothea was in a short skin-tight white dress and a nurse cap. 

“What do you think?” Dorothea asked as she twirled around. 

“Oh, um, It looks nice.” Edelgard stammered. She did not like Dorothea like that, but Edelgard could not deny she was an attractive girl. Anyone would get flustered at the sight of her. 

Dorothea's eyes lit up. “I'll be right back!” Dorothea called out as she trotted out of the kitchen. Edelgard saw her run towards the front door. She assumed someone she knew had shown up. Edelgard took Dorothea’s abandoned seat. 

“Hey,” Byleth said. 

“Hey to you, too,” Edelgard said as she checked Byleth’s costume out. She wore a bandana wrapped around her hair, a loose fitting dress shirt, a belt that cinched her waist with a cutlass holstered on it, and a large pair of hoops. “You look really cute,” Edelgard admitted, not realizing the words that came out of her mouth. Byleth blushed and looked away. Edelgard’s mind took a swan dive into every negative thing Byleth could be thinking about her. _It was just a compliment. No need to worry Edelgard. She doesn’t hate you._

“Thanks, I’m not used to being told that,” Byleth smiled. “You look cute, too.”

“Hey! You’re in my seat!” Dorothea complained as she entered the kitchen once again, dragging a shorter girl with maroon hair by the hand. Edelgard recalled that her name was Petra, and she had transferred to Garreg Mach about a year ago from Brigid. She was a quiet girl, but opened up around Dorothea. Dorothea gushed about her to Edelgard in their late-night texts. The girl wore a loose-fitting white dress with a golden belt tied around her waist. 

“Your costume looks great,” Byleth commented. 

“Thank you. I am Aphrodite, the goddess of love. Your costume is nice as well.” Petra said. 

Dorothea whispered to Edelgard, “Isn’t she adorable?” Edelgard nodded in response. A hand appeared on Dorothea’s shoulders that caused her to swing around. 

“Hey Dorothea, nice costume, but I think it’d look better on my floor,” Sylvain winked. 

“Hm, I’ll consider it. Shouldn’t I ask your boyfriend for permission first?” Dorothea retorted. 

As if on cue, Sylvain’s “boyfriend” walked into the room. 

“Please tell me you aren’t harassing the ladies again,” Felix sighed, crossing his arms. He wore a cop costume; he even had handcuffs on his side. Edelgard noticed that Sylvain was wearing a striped black and white shirt. She put the pieces together and assumed he was the robber. Edelgard watched Felix grab Sylvain and whisper something in his ear. Sylvain’s face turned bright red and he grabbed Felix’s hand and dragged him out of the kitchen. 

“Look at the lovebirds go,” Dorothea cooed. “Enough talking, it's time to get shitfaced!” Dorothea cheered. Edelgard’s stomach dropped at the sound of Byleth and Petra whooping in response. 

_Why am I so shocked that everyone around me is going to drink? I’ll look like a loser if I refuse._

Dorothea grabbed a beer while Petra and Byleth both filled their cups with the punch that Edelgard could only assume was spiked. Edelgard sat on her stool trying to think of a way to avoid drinking. 

“Edie,” Dorothea sang. “Come on. What are you waiting for?” she said as she gestured to the table of drinks. 

Edelgard realized she had to at least get something. She just had to give the appearance that she was drinking. She stood up and got some punch. “I can’t that much, though. I need to make sure I can drive if Dimitri needs me to.” Edelgard said as she returned to the group, sighing, trying to seem disappointed. She clenched her jaw as hard as she could and put the cup to her lips, pretending to take a drink. Of course, she had drank alcohol before. She used to taste sips of her mom’s wine and Claude was always bringing drinks over when their parents weren’t home. She had never gotten drunk, though, and she didn’t want to experience that for the first time here. “I like it,” Edelgard said, trying to make her act seem more convincing. 

* * *

The girls had been in the kitchen talking for a while, Dorothea had been begging Edelgard to let them move to the living room, claiming they were missing all of the action. Edelgard could tell that Dorothea was tipsy. She had already downed three beers.

As they walked into the living room Edelgard noticed how nice Byleth’s ass looked in her skinny jeans. Edelgard began to blush once she realized what she was looking at. The group found a spot on the couch where they all could sit. It was a bit too crowded for Edelgard’s liking, but she would have to make do. 

Byleth had constantly been making trips back and forth from the punch. Edelgard was enjoying the view as Byleth walked to the kitchen, but she was worried about her friend.

“You really like the punch, huh?” Edelgard laughed. 

“Yeah, It’s really good. I don’t think it’s spiked, though. I don’t feel any different,” Byleth shrugged, taking another sip of her drink. 

“Well okay, I think you should take a break from it for now. You’ve had like 6 cups of it. I don’t want you to get sick.” Edelgard mentally facepalmed, she sounded like a mom. She was surprised when Byleth nodded. She looked sad. 

_Oh no. Oh gods. I made her upset. Fuck._

“What’s with that frown? You’re much prettier when you smile,” Edelgard said, suddenly getting a burst of confidence. 

“I don’t want you to be mad at me,” Byleth frowned, moving closer to Edelgard. “I noticed you haven’t really been drinking. I don’t want you to think badly of me.” 

**“** Of course not! I just need to make sure I can drive my brother and his boyfriend home,” Edelgard explained. “Here.” Edelgard said as she reached for her cup, downing the untouched punch in one swig. It was actually pretty good, sweet but tangy. “Now I’ve drunk something, so you don’t have to feel left out.” 

“You didn’t have to do that for me. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable,” Byleth said. Byleth’s sudden mood shift was sort of freaking Edelgard out. She had never seen her like this. Edelgard felt like taking a risk. She grabbed Byleth’s hand and held it in her own. Feeling the soft palm on her own. It felt like a perfect fit. 

“I drank because I wanted to. I promise,” Edelgard smiled, her voice was soft. Byleth hugged her tight. 

“You're like my best friend. I love you.” Byleth confessed. 

Edelgard felt a wave of emotions. She was taken by surprise by the sudden hug, but she felt glad Byleth trusted her. She also felt a pang of disappointment that Byleth only “loved her” as a best friend. Suddenly, Byleth shifted and she was sitting on her lap. She stared into Edelgard’s eyes. A bright blush on her face. The two girls stared at each other, saying nothing. 

A loud cheer rang out. Edelgard looked in the middle of the living room. It seemed that a spin the bottle game had been set up while Edelgard was distracted by Byleth. Dorothea was sitting in front of Petra, making out with her, while people around them cheered and took photos. Even when she was smashing her face into someone else's, Dorothea still looked graceful. Edelgard noticed the warmth on her thighs was gone. She looked next to her to see if Byleth was next to her, but she wasn’t. 

_I made things weird, didn’t I? She probably left. I always screw these things up._ Edelgard was traveling down the road of negative thoughts, but Byleth came back into the living room, another cup of punch in her hand. Edelgard let out a sigh of relief. Byleth sat down next to Edelgard, shooting her a smile. Edelgard took a deep breath, she decided she needed a moment to herself. “Hey, I’m gonna go find the bathroom, I’ll be back,” she told Byleth.

She walked across the living room, down another hallway. She peaked in every open door to find the bathroom. She found it eventually. She entered and locked the door, and took her phone out of her pocket to check the time. Much more time had passed than she thought. It had been nearly four hours. She put her phone back in her pocket and stared at herself in the mirror. The scenes that had unfolded just a few minutes prior played out in her mind. They made her heart speed up and yearn for Byleth’s warmth again. She felt like she was about to overheat. She removed her jacket and tied it around her waist. She began to fan herself as she paced around the bathroom. 

_Okay, breathe. I’m going to go back out there, and everything will be fine. She’s just a little tipsy. She won’t remember this tomorrow, so it would be for the best if I just try to forget it, too._ Edelgard’s heart hurt with disappointment at the idea of Byleth forgetting what happened. Her eyes began to tear up. _No, I am not going to let myself cry over a girl at some stupid Halloween party._ Edelgard scolded herself. She decided to pull her phone out again and scroll through her social media in an attempt to distract herself from all of the thoughts swirling in her head. 

_It didn’t mean anything. It didn’t mean anything. It didn’t mean anything._ That was the only thing she could think of to try and calm her beating heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I hope you enjoyed this week's chapter! All the feedback and kudos really makes my heart swell. I am so glad you actually like this! With school ending in the next week or so I will be trying to transition into posting several chapters a week as I will hopefully be writing a lot more over the summer!  
> Please leave feedback and or any comments! I will do my best to respond to them all! 
> 
> <3 - Dooni/Dani


	6. Chapter 6

Edelgard decided that she had spent enough time hiding in the bathroom. She touched up her make up and gave one last look over before she exited. Her walk to the living room was much less bustling than the way in. Many people were passed out on the couches. 

_ How long was I in there? _

“El!” Edelgard suddenly felt a weight on her back as she was pushed to the ground. She managed to turn herself over so she could face the suspect. 

“I was so worried that you left!” Byleth cried out, her eyes watering. “I was looking for you everywhere!” Byleth was now sitting on her hips, her hands gripped Edelgard’s shoulders. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to worry you,” Edelgard replied. Her mind was racing at a million miles per hour. Her heart felt like it was about to burst. She had never been in this type of situation and had no idea how to react. She could not help feeling self-conscious, given that they were lying on the middle of Sylvain’s living room floor, and Byleth was literally sitting on her. Edelgard looked around frantically, making sure there was no sign of Dorothea, who would tease her until the end of time, or Dimitri, who would kill Byleth. Edelgard gently placed her hands on Byleth’s shoulders and pushed her gently so she would at least get off of her hips. Edelgard was able to sit up. The two girls stared into each other’s eyes. The room was dark, but Edelgard could see all of Byleth’s facial features. 

Byleth wrapped her arms around Edelgard’s neck, and leaned forward, pulling the girl into another hug. She placed her head in the crook of Edelgard’s neck. “You’re warm,” Byleth murmured. Letting her eyes shut, Edelgard had no clue what to do. 

“Hey, don’t you go falling asleep on me,” Edelgard chuckled as she shook Byleth, trying to keep the girl awake. Byleth groaned in response, mumbling some incoherent nothings. Edelgard placed her hands at Byleth’s hips, trying to figure out how to get the girl off of her so she could stand. Edelgard slipped her hands to the backside of Byleth’s thighs. Lifting the girl up as she herself stood up. Edelgard was shaky; she had never lifted someone up like this before. Byleth automatically wrapped her legs around Edelgard’s hips. 

_ Oh, Goddess, please give me the strength to not drop this girl,  _ Edelgard silently prayed. She walked over to one of the couches and placed Byleth down gently. Byleth whined and reached out to Edelgard. The girl seemed exhausted. Edelgard assumed Byleth would want to sleep in her bed at home, so she decided she would take the girl home herself. 

“Hey, Byleth, do you want to go home?” Edelgard whispered to the girl. Byleth nodded slowly. “Okay, but I have to go find my brother first. You should come with me.” Edelgard explained, pulling on Byleth’s arm to get her to stand up. 

“No, I want to sleep,” Byleth pouted. 

“You can sleep soon, I promise,” Edelgard replied, feeling bad for finding how cute Byleth was when she was in this state. 

Edelgard was unsure where to look. She stood in the kitchen with Byleth hanging onto her shoulder. She saw a group of people in the backyard outside, sitting around a fire pit. She heard Claude’s voice, so she assumed Dimitri had to be nearby. She slid the screen door over and walked out to the backyard, continuing to lead Byleth by the hand.

“Oh, hey Edelgard!” Sylvain called out. “Having fun?” 

“Yeah. I had a lot of fun. I’m looking for Dimitri. Have you seen him?” Edelgard asked.

“Oh, there you are, El. I’ve been meaning to find you,” Dimitri said as he stood up and walked over to her. “Claude and I are going to be staying the night,” 

“Okay, well I was gonna drive Byleth home. Could I take the car?” 

“Have you drank anything? I can drop the two of you off if you need me to.” 

“I had some punch earlier in the night, but it's been a bit since then.” 

“You can take it, but still remember to be safe,” Dimitri said. Edelgard nodded in response.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, then,” Edelgard said as she took Byleth back inside. “Ready to go home?” Byleth nodded. The two walked through the littered house and outside to the front. Edelgard hit the unlock button on the keys so she could find the car. Once she found it, she helped Byleth get inside, making sure she had her seat belt on. Edelgard got into the driver’s seat and got the car started. It was nearly two in the morning. “Wait, Byleth, can you tell me where you live?” Edelgard asked, realizing she couldn’t take her home without the address. 

Byleth mumbled a response, handing Edelgard her phone. She read the screen, assuming it was her address. 

“Okay. I can get us there soon enough. You can take a nap if you need,” Edelgard responded. 

* * *

The drive was quiet. Edelgard looked over to her right when she was at a red light. Byleth’s sleeping figure was illuminated by a streetlamp. 

_ She’s so beautiful _ . Edelgard allowed herself to think about these things for a moment.

“Hey, Byleth, I think we’re here. It’s time to wake up.” Edelgard got out and walked around the car. She opened the passenger side door, reached in, and unbuckled Byleth.

“Carry me, El,” Byleth pleaded. Edelgard couldn’t refuse her request, especially when she looked so sleepy. Edelgard lifted Byleth up and cradled her in her arms to the front door. Then, they hit another roadblock; her living room light was on. Her dad was probably waiting for her. She didn’t want Byleth to get in trouble, but she couldn’t just walk in, so she knocked on the door. 

_ Please let this be the right house. _

“Hello?” a rough, groggy voice called out as it opened the door. “Oh, Edelgard! What a surprise.,” Coach Eisner laughed. 

“Hello, sir. Sorry for disturbing you,” Edelgard apologized. 

“Just call me Jeralt here. And don’t worry about it. I tend to be quite the night owl. It appears my daughter took my advice and let herself loose. She’ll learn tomorrow though. Since you’re already holding her, do you mind taking her to her room? When you go up the stairs, it’s at the end of the hallway,” Jeralt pointed at the stairs. Edelgard nodded and walked to the staircase, taking extreme caution as she walked up the stairs, making sure she did not trip on Byleth’s dangling legs or drop the poor girl. 

Edelgard entered her room and hit the lightswitch with her elbow. She looked around her room. It was simple, the walls were a light blue, her bed had a simple black and white quilted comforter. She had a bookshelf full of books and a desk that was covered in knick knacks. The room reflected her perfectly. Edelgard continued into the room, walking over to Byleth’s bed, placing her on the edge of the bed. 

“I’m going to take your shoes off. Is that cool?” Edelgard asked. Byleth simply nodded. Edelgard began to untie her shoes and pulled them off of her feet, placing them next to her. She noticed that there was a change of clothes sitting on the bed next to Byleth. She assumed she had laid them out earlier. Edelgard picked up the clothes and attempted to give them to Byleth. 

“No,” Byleth whined, falling back on her bed.

“Come on, you’ll be much more comfortable if you get out of these sweaty clothes.” 

Byleth said nothing in response. Instead, she removed the belt around her waist and began to pull her shirt off. Before Edelgard could stop her, the girl was shirtless. 

_ What's going on? Oh my gods, why me? _ Edelgard’s cheeks felt like they were on fire. Byleth was behaving as if she wasn’t even there. She began to reach behind herself to take off her bra. Edelgard took notice right away and whipped around, giving the girl some privacy. She heard shuffling around and prayed that Byleth was changing. 

“Come back,” Byleth whimpered. When Edelgard turned back around, she was grateful to see the girl had fully changed. She wore a t-shirt that had a sports logo on it and a pair of sweatpants. 

Eyeliner was still smudged on Byleth’s face. Edelgard walked over to her dresser to grab a makeup wipe and then made her way back to Byleth, who once again was on the verge of falling asleep. “Want me to do it?” she asked. Byleth nodded sleepily. Edelgard put her left hand on Byleth’s cheek to keep her head still, and she cleaned her eyes and face. She threw away the wipe and made her way back over to the bed. 

Byleth reached up to Edelgard and grabbed her jacket collar. She pulled her down and looked straight into her eyes. 

Edelgard’s heart raced. “What-” she was cut off, feeling Byleth’s lips pressed against her own. The room stood still, and time slowed to a halt. Edelgard couldn’t help but focus on how soft the girl’s lips were against her own. She had to place her arms around Byleth, her knees feeling weak. Byleth placed her hands on the small of her back, pulling the two closer, their foreheads touching. She felt her eyes slowly close. Heat radiated over her entire body. A soft moan raised from Byleth’s throat, which Edelgard accepted as reassurance. The two hesitated to part but were forced to, as they had to breathe. Byleth’s face was a crimson red. She looked at Edelgard. There was a lump in Edelgard’s throat, and she could barely breathe. The girls stared at each other, saying nothing. She felt guilty for wanting more.

“Can you tuck me in?” Byleth murmured. Edelgard could not help but accept her soft request. Byleth slipped under her sheets, and Edelgard pulled her quilt over her tired body. 

“Goodnight, Byleth. Sweet dreams,” Edelgard whispered. Byleth hummed in response and shut her eyes. Edelgard looked at the sleeping figure one last time before she made her way out of the room, turning off the light as she exited. She made her way downstairs, ready to get home herself. She had forgotten that her gym teacher was still there. 

“Heading out, kiddo?” Jeralt asked, sitting on the couch, watching what sounded like some cop drama. 

“Yes, sir. Sorry for the intrusion. Have a good night,” Edelgard said quickly, leaving the house without making eye contact with the man. 

When she got to the car, she sat down and just stared out. She had absolutely no clue what had just happened. She wanted to scream. She placed her face in her hands and gave out a groan. Even though she felt like she was about to pass out, she still felt oddly calm. She figured it was just the serenity of the night keeping her sane.  _ The only thing I can do now is just go home. _

She arrived home and went straight to her room, got changed, and slipped into bed. She felt like she could finally breathe again. She allowed the events of the night to replay in her head. One particular event kept playing over and over again. She felt guilty, as if she took advantage of her friend. Edelgard decided to rule the kiss off as nothing more than a drunken spur of the moment act. It could not have anything to Byleth.  _ She won’t remember it in the morning. You will. You have to keep things normal between you two. You’re the one who’s going to fuck this up.  _ She wondered if Byleth even liked her, she wanted Byleth to like her, but she did not want to get her hopes up. Her mind was a warzone, so she decided she would sleep off her emotions. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Thank you so much for reading this week's chapter! My last day of school was supposed to be tomorrow but it got moved to Monday due to a power outage :(. That being said, it is possible a new chapter may be posted Monday ;). 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please leave feedback or any questions you may have! I will try to respond to all of them! Hope you all have a great day/night!
> 
> <3 - Dooni/Dani


	7. Chapter 7

“Rise and shine, kiddo,” Jeralt called out as he knocked on Byleth’s door. She groaned, turning over from her side and sat up, immediately feeling an oncoming headache and an overwhelming sense of nausea. Jeralt cracked open the door and entered, a glass of water and painkillers in each hand. Byleth realized she was in her room. She could not remember how she got home nor changing her clothes. 

“What happened? The last thing I remember is…” Byleth trailed off, trying to recall the events of the prior night. Suddenly her face went hot. She remembered the feeling of Edelgard’s lips on hers. “Never mind, I think I know what happened.” 

“You partied pretty hard last night. Your friend brought you home,” Jeralt laughed as he handed Byleth the glass of water and pills. “Drink. You’re probably dehydrated. This should help with your headache.”

“Who brought me home?” Byleth asked. She had a good idea, but she wanted to ensure what happened last night was not a dream. 

“Hm, I can’t remember her name, but she had white hair and was super polite,” Jeralt described.

_ Oh gods, it wasn’t a dream. She really took me home last night. And I really did that!  _ Byleth panicked in her mind, her head began to pound more. 

“Okay, kiddo, I’m gonna let you rest. Yell if you need anything.” Jeralt stood up and patted Byleth on the head. He closed her door as he left. The only thing that could be heard was the ticking of her clock. She wanted to cry, in frustration, fear, and embarrassment. She began to berate herself for being so irresponsible, and for forcing herself on her friend! 

_ There is no way I can ever face her again She probably hates me and thinks I’m stupid and irresponsible.  _ Her phone vibrated.

**Good morning, I hope you’re feeling better. You were pretty out of it last night.**

It was Edelgard. Byleth screamed and threw her phone at the foot of her bed. 

_ Okay, maybe she doesn’t remember it happening. I have to answer it! She’ll get suspicious if I don’t.  _ Byleth hyped herself up as she grabbed her phone again, typing a reply.

**I’m doing okay, I have a terrible headache, but other than that I’m fine. Thank you for taking me home last night, I hope I didn’t do anything too weird haha.** Byleth groaned, wishing this was not happening right now. She laid back down, pulling her covers over her head. The warmth from her blankets reminded her of how safe and warm she felt in Edelgard’s arms. She wished the girl was right next to her, holding her once again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!!! Special update today just because I finished school for the summer! Hopefully, I will be able to write a lot more! I've been using all my spare time to play animal crossing or Xenoblade chronicles (whoops!). I hope you all enjoyed this part! 
> 
> Have a great day/night!
> 
> <3 - Dooni/Dani
> 
> P.S we split the chapter into two parts due to a POV change so I hope that makes sense!


	8. Chapter 8

Edelgard turned over, away from the window that was next to her bed, the sun rudely welcoming itself in. Edelgard groaned, feeling as if she had not slept at all. She felt like she could sleep for a year, and it wouldn’t be enough. She sighed as she reached for her phone and unlocked it. immediately opening her social media seeing pictures that people had posted of the party. She came across one that was posted by Dorothea. It was a picture of Petra and Dorothea. Petra was holding Dorothea in her arms as she kissed her cheek. Edelgard smiled. She was happy for her friend. Her mind was still a little groggy, as she tried to recall the night before. She suddenly recalled the sequence of events that had occurred at Byleth’s house. She sighed, disappointment filling her stomach. Byleth was drunk; she did not know what she was doing. Edelgard felt like she should apologize for kissing her back. _I should check on her._ She thought as she opened her texts. She was concerned for the girl. She had drunk a lot.

 **Good morning, I hope you’re feeling better. You were pretty out of it last night.** She placed her phone on her nightstand and stretched her arms out. Feet plopped onto the ground as she got out of bed and walked over to her mirror. Her fingers brushed over her lips as she looked at her face; she was reminded how soft Byleth’s lips were. She tried to push those thoughts out of her mind, figuring it would only cause her more pain. She picked up her phone again. There was a message from Byleth. 

**I’m doing okay, I have a terrible headache, but other than that I’m fine. Thank you for taking me home last night, I hope I didn’t do anything too weird haha.**

_Oh gods, do I tell her? No, why would I do that? I don’t want to embarrass her, she obviously doesn’t remember._ Edelgard groaned. She did not know what to do. Her phone dinged again, this time from Dimitri.

 **Can you come to pick Claude and me up?** Edelgard sighed. She forgot that she was the one with the car. 

**Okay, I’ll be there in 20 minutes.** Edelgard made her way downstairs and into the car. She tried to focus on the road and nothing else, but despite that, she could not help wondering if she should ask her brother for help. She decided against it, as Dimitri would most likely have a heart attack. 

She pulled up to Sylvain’s house and shot Dimitri a text. She waited for her stepbrother and his boyfriend to exit the house. They walked out of the front door. Both looked exhausted. 

“Hey,” Edelgard said as they got into the car. “Have fun last night?” Edelgard looked over at Dimitri, he was wearing one of Claude’s hoodies. He pulled it up around his neck to hide the red and purple marks that covered his neck up to his jaw. 

“Yeah, but I think Dimitri had more fun after the party though,” Claude smirked, Dimitri turned and glared at the other boy. 

“Oh, well I’m glad you two enjoyed yourselves,” Edelgard said, unsure how to respond to Claude’s innuendo. 

“Well did you have fun?” Dimitri asked. “You’re usually not really one for parties. I hope it wasn’t too overwhelming.” Edelgard shook her head. 

As they were approaching a red light, Claude wondered aloud, “So, who was that girl you were hanging out with? Was that your girlfriend?” Edelgard tensed up and put her foot on the brakes a little too hard, causing all three to jerk forward. “Aha! So she is! Who knew you had it in you?” Claude laughed. 

“She is not my girlfriend. We’re just friends. She was feeling really tired and I took her home, nothing more than that,” Edelgard stated. She felt a little disappointed saying that. 

When they arrived back at the house, the two boys jumped out of the car and made their way to Dimitri’s room. Edelgard went to her own room. She plopped onto her bed and felt like she was going to explode. This was too much for her to hold it all in. She ran through her list of people to tell, figuring Dorothea would be the last person she would tell, her choice of a person was obvious. 

**Hey, do you mind coming over? I need to tell you something, and I’d rather do it in person.** Edelgard sighed, hoping she would feel a little better after talking to Hubert. A message flashed across her screen. 

**Okay. Leaving now.**

* * *

Hubert was there in a matter of minutes. They walked into the kitchen, and Edelgard began to make coffee, figuring she should at least give him something for his troubles. She poured the coffee into two mugs and handed him one. Both of them opted to drink their coffee black. Edelgard sat on a counter while Hubert leaned against the refrigerator across from her. 

“So, how was the party last night?” Hubert asked. 

“Oh, it was alright. Crowded, but I had fun,” Edelgard shrugged, sipping her coffee. “You were hanging with Ferdinand right? What were you two doing?” Edelgard asked. A light blush spread across Hubert’s cheeks.

“We were just hanging out, and we watched a few horror movies. Now, what did you want to talk to me about?”

“It’s about last night. Between Byleth and I.” Edelgard lowered her head in embarrassment, staring into her mug. She took a shaky breath and began to explain to Hubert what had happened the previous night. “So I ended up taking her home. Her dad was home and he asked me to take her to her room. I tried to help her out, but she started undressing right in front of me.” Edelgard let out a soft chuckle. “I saw she still had her makeup on, so I wiped it off for her and when I came back from throwing out the wipe, she just grabbed me and pulled me into a kiss,” Edelgard groaned, placing her face in her hands. “The worst part is that I kissed her back, I didn’t even try to stop her.” 

“Well, I was not expecting that,” Hubert admitted. “What do you think you should do?” 

“I don’t know! Part of me thinks I should tell her, but the other part of me tells me that it probably meant nothing, it was just a spur of the moment thing,” Edelgard said, exasperated. “I’m going to mess our whole friendship up.” 

Hubert took a seat on the counter next to Edelgard. “Do you like her?” 

“I don’t know. I don’t even know if I like girls,” Edelgard mumbled, her face in her hands again.

Hubert was never one for comforting, but he could tell Edelgard was extremely upset. He said nothing but wrapped his arm around the girl. 

“Ferdinand kissed me last night too,” Hubert whispered. Edelgard’s head whipped up from her hands, covering her mouth instead.

“Oh my gods!” Edelgard laughed. “Are you two a thing now?”

“Yes. We are planning on keeping it a secret for a while. Don’t tell anyone. Especially you know who.” 

“Don’t worry. I won't, but you can’t tell anyone what I told you.” 

“Of course, but what are you going to do about Byleth?” 

“I don’t know. Didn’t we just go over that?” Edelgard’s palm grew clammy at the idea of having to face Byleth again after the whole ordeal. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this part of the chapter! We had a lot of fun writing in Byleth's perspective and we hope you all liked it as well! Let us know if you'd like to see more of that! 
> 
> Please leave comments & feedback! We will try our best to respond to everyone!!
> 
> Have a great day/night!
> 
> <3- Dooni/Dani


	9. Chapter 9

It had been a few days since Sylvain’s Halloween party. Edelgard tried to push the memories from Byleth’s house out of her head. She would distract herself with her school work and extracurricular activities, but at night she could not help but feel cold. It made her feel as if she was alone in the world, and Byleth was the only other person. She did not have dreams often, but when she did, Byleth was always there. It made her feel a little happier in the morning before she would realize it was only a dream. 

It took all of Edelgard’s strength to not run the other way when the girl would approach her in the hallways at school; she had no clue how to address the situation, so she decided she would do her best to ignore it. As guilty as it made her feel, she would only talk to the Byleth when necessary. Byleth knew that Edelgard was avoiding her. It was obvious when Edelgard began eating lunch in the library, saying she had a lot of work to do. Byleth appeared worried, but she figured it would be for the best if she gave Edelgard the space she needed. 

Edelgard was sitting in the library after school one day, doing research for another history project. As she read articles on her laptop, she heard footsteps approaching. She looked up in front of her. Sylvain sat across the table waving. 

“Heya, Edelgard, whatcha doing?” 

“I’m getting started on the project for Hanneman’s class,” Edelgard said, not looking up from her laptop. “Before you ask, I will not do your project for you.” 

“Relax, I am not here to ask you that. I’ve just noticed that you’ve been acting weird around Byleth.” Sylvain said, his voice lowering into a whisper. This caused Edelgard’s head to shoot up from her laptop. Her heartbeat increased as she felt her hands clam up. 

“What do you mean? There’s nothing going on between us, I promise.” 

“Oh come on, Edelgard. Everyone can see it. I’m starting to wonder if Byleth is just that oblivious. The way you look at that girl, plus…” Sylvain trailed off. He pulled his phone out and faced it toward Edelgard. Edelgard gave an audible gasp. Her face turned a crimson red. It was a photo of when Byleth had been sitting on her lap in the middle of Sylvain’s living room. 

“That's not me.” Edelgard lied. 

“Oh, come on. You’re literally the only person I know with that white hair,” Sylvain laughed at her. 

“Okay, so maybe it is me. Who took that?” Edelgard lowered her head, plotting the murder of whoever took the picture. 

“You know me, I never reveal my secrets,” Sylvain grinned. “So, does Garreg Mach have a new couple?” 

“I can assure you that we aren’t dating. I don’t even know if she likes girls. I don’t even know if _I_ like girls,” Edelgard sighed, wondering why she was sharing this information with Sylvain. 

“Well, have you asked her?” Sylvain asked, leaning on the table.

“Of course not! How could you even ask someone something so personal? Again, I don’t _think_ I like girls.” 

“I highly doubt that, but okay, Edelgard. Your costume was pretty cool, but it did kind of scream lesbian, dude,” Sylvain shrugged. Edelgard huffed at his comment. She shut her laptop and began to pack her things up. 

“Aw, you’re done already? I haven’t even gotten to ask you if you wanted my help,” Sylvain pouted. 

“I would go to Dorothea before I went to you for help with my love life,” Edelgard said. “Plus, I think I should do it myself if it's my love life.” 

“Well if you ever need me to get any info on Byleth, you can always give me a call!” Sylvain beamed, giving Edelgard a thumbs up. Edelgard rolled her eyes. 

As Edelgard was walking away from the table, she turned back around. “Thanks, Sylvain, you actually helped me feel a little better surprisingly,” she lied. “Also, you should check in with Ferdinand and Hubert if you’re looking for a new couple at Garreg Mach.”

* * *

Edelgard was lying on her bed, internally debating whether she should tell Byleth what happened at the Halloween party, or if she should continue to keep quiet. Of course, she would love to keep quiet, but she felt like she was being eaten alive by the guilt. She needed another opinion. She would have talked to Hubert again, but she figured she had annoyed the boy enough already. She got up from her bed and made her way into the hallway, stopping in front of her stepbrother’s door. 

“Hey, Dimitri, can I come in?” Edelgard asked.

“Yeah,” he replied. She opened his door. Dimitri was working at his desk. He looked up and asked,. “What’s up?”

“I need your advice,” Edelgard said, avoiding his eyes. 

“Okay. I’m all ears,” Dimitri nodded, gesturing for her to come in. Edelgard plopped herself on his bed. 

“Let’s say, hypothetically, somebody got drunk at a party, and you potentially took them home, and they ended up kissing you. What would you do? Again, this is entirely hypothetically,” Edelgard said. Dimitri stared at the girl in bewilderment

“Okay, so you wouldn’t be asking me something like this if it had not happened to you. So?” Dimitri asked. Edelgard lowered her head in defeat. 

“If I tell you, I need you to promise you won’t tell anyone, and you especially will not go after the person I talk about,” Edelgard begged. Dimitri nodded his head in agreement. Edelgard filled him in on what had happened that night.

“And now I don’t know how to act around her. I don’t think she remembers what happened and I don’t want to embarrass her, but I feel guilty whenever I’m around her. I know I should talk to her, but I’m not sure how I should go about it,” Edelgard sighed. Dimitri had murder in his eyes. He took a deep breath.

“Well, I know you don’t want to, but you should really talk to her. It is really important that you be honest with her if you still want to be her friend. I wouldn’t do it over text though. Perhaps you two can meet up in person,” Dimitri suggested. 

Edelgard sighed. She realized there was no escaping talking to Byleth if she wanted to alleviate her feelings of guilt. She stood up from Dimitri’s bed. “Thanks, Di. I'll probably talk to her this weekend, and I’ll let you know how it goes,” Edelgard said as she walked back to her own room. 

_The cafe would probably be the best place._ Edelgard thought. She decided she would text Byleth tomorrow, asking her if she would like to join her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I know it was a short and kind of boring one.  
> Please leave feedback/comments!
> 
> Have a great day/night!!!
> 
> <3 - Dooni/Dani


	10. Chapter 10

“ **Hey, Byleth! Would you mind meeting me at Cafe Serien on Saturday around noon? I want to talk to you about some things.** Edelgard sent the text. Now she had to wait for a response. She would not blame Byleth if she said no. Her phone buzzed.

**“Sure. I hope It's not anything too serious, haha.”** Edelgard read the message over and over again, making sure she wasn’t seeing things. She did a little cheer, glad she would get the opportunity to try and make things right between her and Byleth. She had to let Hubert know. She decided to call him instead, knowing that he was one to ignore text messages, especially if it was something he did not want to do. She opened his contact and pressed the call button. 

“Hello?” Hubert said.

“Hey. I need a favor. I asked Byleth to meet me at Cafe Serien on Saturday at noon. I was wondering if you could come.” 

“Why do I need to come?” Hubert groaned

“Because I think I might be calmer if you were there. Plus what if no one else is there, and it’s completely empty? That’s gonna be awkward,” Edelgard shivered at the thoughts of all the negative things that could happen. 

“How am I even supposed to make sure she doesn’t see me?”   
“Wear a hoodie or something, I don’t care.”

“Fine. I’ll be there, but I'm bringing Ferdinand. I won’t tell him the details, but he will be there.”

“Okay deal. Thank you so much, Hubert, you’re the best.” 

“I know,” Hubert laughed, and then hung up.

* * *

Saturday came too quickly for Edelgard’s liking. She walked into the cafe. The aroma of coffee was strong. It made Edelgard feel cozy, and it helped relax her nerves. 

“Welcome!” the barista called out. She wore her bright red hair in a ponytail “How can I help you today?” Edelgard looked at the menu above her

“One small chai tea latte, please,” Edelgard said, as she rummaged through her pockets for the money she had grabbed before she left. 

“Here you go!” The barista said as she placed the cup on the counter. “That’ll be $4.25!” Edelgard handed her a five-dollar bill. She placed her change in the tip jar. 

Edelgard grabbed her drink and walked towards the back of the cafe, and she took a seat facing the door. As she sat down, she took notice of the two hooded sunglass-wearing figures sitting diagonal to the table she was at. She could immediately tell that it was Hubert and Ferdinand. Hubert, with a deadpan face, gave her a thumbs up. He looked down at his phone. Edelgard's phone buzzed. 

**Good luck.** Edelgard looked back at Hubert and nodded in response. She heard the ringing bells on the cafe door and looked up to see Byleth entering. She wore a black and white striped sweater with blue jeans and a pair of boots. Her blue hair reflected the sun perfectly. 

_ She looks so pretty.  _ Edelgard sighed as she felt her palms begin to clam up, her pulse increase, and her legs begin to shake. Byleth waved at her and pointed to the counter, signaling that she was going to buy a drink before she sat down. Edelgard watched her intently as the other girl interacted with the barista, and realized she was staring. She looked down at her phone so she would not seem creepy if Byleth were to take notice of her staring. As she mindlessly browsed her phone, she heard footsteps approaching. 

“Hi,” Byleth said as she pulled the chair out and sat down. 

“Hey. What did you get to drink?” Edelgard asked, attempting to make small talk.

“Just a hot chocolate. What about you?” 

“Oh, I got a chai tea latte. Thank you for meeting me here. I suppose I should just get out with it already,” Edelgard sighed. “So, I really wanted to apologize for being so distant this week. I’ve been really busy with school. Hanneman’s project was kicking my ass this week and I was really stressed out.

Edelgard looked behind Byleth, in the direction of two boys, who were clearly eavesdropping. Hubert shot her a thumbs down, telling her that he was not a fan of her excuse. Edelgard prayed to the goddess that Byleth would buy it. 

“You don’t have to apologize for that, Edelgard! I completely understand. You are so hardworking, and you have a lot of responsibilities. I’m really impressed you manage it all. I did miss you at lunch, but Dorothea kept me busy,” Byleth grinned. 

“Oh gods, I’m sorry. I hope she wasn’t too much,” Edelgard said.

“She is a character, but she’s such a sweetheart, so I don’t mind,” Byleth said, letting out a sigh. “I’m just so glad you aren’t mad at me or something. I was so worried. I wanted to reach out, but I was scared it would upset you.”

“I’m sorry, I made you worry,” Edelgard said, feeling ashamed for making a friend upset. 

“It’s okay, I just have always had a hard time keeping friends, I guess,” Byleth shrugged. Edelgard tilted her head in curiosity. “Both of my parents were in the military, and when I was around two years old they got deployed, so I had to live with my grandparents while I was growing up. It was only supposed to be until their six month tour was done, but my mom ended up getting really sick and dying a few months in. It completely wrecked my dad. He asked my grandparents to continue to take care of me because he knew he couldn’t do it. So what was supposed to be half a year ended up being my life up until now.” Byleth said, sniffling. Edelgard could feel her heart break at the sound of Byleth’s sadness. 

“I’m so sorry,” Edelgard mouthed. 

“It’s okay. My grandparents were always moving around because they were traveling doctors. We never stayed in one place for too long. I don’t think I ever stayed in one school for an entire school year, so this year is a big change,” Byleth laughed. 

“Shit, that’s rough,” Edelgard said, not quite sure how to properly respond. 

“I got used to it. I just stopped trying to make friends after a while. It was annoying because whenever I would move, they would always say, ‘we’ll keep in touch,’ but never actually did.” 

“So, how did you end up back with your dad?” Edelgard asked, hoping she was not overstepping any boundaries. 

“Well, he got the job here as a teacher a few years ago, and he really enjoyed it. I think it has really helped him. He also wanted a chance to be a ‘real dad’ as he said, so he had me transfer here for senior year,” Byleth explained

“I’m really glad you’re here. And thank you for sharing all of that with me,” Edelgard looked at Byleth and shot her a sympathetic smile. 

“Thanks, Edelgard. I’m so glad you weren’t mad at me. I think you’re super cool, and honestly, I consider you to be my best friend. You make me feel comfortable when we’re together,” Byleth explained. Edelgard’s heart began to swell. She was speechless. Her hand reached out instinctively and grabbed Byleth’s. 

“You’re one of my best friends, too, Byleth. I’m always here if you need anything. I promise.” The two girls smiled at each other, Byleth using her free hand to wipe a stray tear off of her cheek. 

“Thank you again, Edelgard,” Byleth whispered.

* * *

The two continued to chat. They discussed their own hobbies, fellow classmates, and a plethora of other topics. It was nearly three when Byleth said she had to go. She had to tutor one of her neighbor’s kids. 

“Thanks so much for inviting me, Edelgard. I’m glad we got to talk. I’ll see you Monday!” Byleth said cheerfully. 

“No, thank you. Have fun tutoring!” Edelgard said as she waved goodbye to Byleth. She watched her walk out the door and out of eyesight. Hubert and Ferdinand made their way over to her table, removing their shades and taking off their hoods. 

“You can thank Ferdinand for giving me one of his hoodies to disguise myself,” Hubert grumbled. 

“Well, based on what I saw, I’d say that went pretty well. Right, Edelgard? Ferdinand asked. 

“Yeah, I think it went well, too. I’m feeling much better now,” Edelgard smiled. Hubert looked happy to see his friend smiling again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I am going to start updating on Monday's as well! 
> 
> Have a great day/night!
> 
> <3- Dooni/Dani


	11. Chapter 11

Edelgard felt much better after talking to Byleth, but at the same time, she also began to feel worse. Whenever Byleth seemed upset or anxious, it made Edelgard worried, but when she saw Byleth happy, she felt happy as well. 

_Something is definitely wrong with me,_ Edelgard thought to herself at night as she laid in her bed, reflecting her emotions. Thoughts of Hubert and Sylvain suggesting she had a crush popped up multiple times. 

  
  


Edelgard was sitting at her desk in Hanneman’s class. As the bell rang, she looked next to her and realized that the seat next to her, the seat that Byleth sat in, was empty. She felt her stomach drop. She pulled out her phone and sent a quick text to Byleth

**Hey, where are you today?**

**I’m sick, sorry, I won’t be at school today. If you don’t mind, could you send me any notes we take in Hanneman’s today?**

**Of course, feel better soon!**

“No Ms. Eisner today? Professor Essar called out, looking over his attendance sheet.

“No, sir. She’s not feeling well,” Edelgard said.

“Well, then. Let’s get started with today’s lesson,” Professor Essar began. Edelgard was always an attentive student, but today she made sure her notes were in extraordinary detail and were easy to read. She had to push her thoughts of concern for Byleth out of her mind. Of course, she was worried, but if she continued to think about the other girl she would make herself sick.

“Your homework for tonight will be the reading in your textbooks, pages 653 to 670,” Hanneman announced as he wrote it on his chalkboard. 

Edelgard sat with Dorothea, Hubert, and Ferdinand at their usual lunch table. She sat with her head resting in her hand, staring into space, sighing occasionally. 

“Hey! Earth to Edelgard!” Dorothea yelled, waving her hands in front of the other girl’s face. Edelgard jumped, shaken from her thoughts. “I get it, Byleth isn’t here today, but she isn’t dead. Come on, she’ll be fine!” Dorothea said reassuringly. 

Edelgard could feel her eyes begin to tear up at the thought of Byleth dying. She quickly stopped the tears from forming. She did not want them to see her cry. “I know, I’m just worried.” 

“Understandable,” Hubert said. 

“Seriously, Edelgard, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say you and Byleth are dating!’ Dorothea laughed, causing Edelgard to glare at the girl. Hubert chuckled quietly, but stopped once he realized he was doing it out loud. 

“Shut up, both of you,” Edelgard snapped. She tried hard to control her nerves, but she felt so jittery all day. 

_I’ll try to visit her after school. I_ do _have to drop the notes off at some point_.

* * *

The day felt as if it was never going to end. During the student council meeting, she could barely sit still, cursing the gods that the meeting had to occur today of all days. She knew it couldn’t be helped, but that didn’t stop her annoyance. The minute she announced the meeting to be over, she gathered her belongings as quickly as humanly possible.

“Hubert, I have to go to Byleth’s house to drop some notes off, so I won’t be walking home with you today. I’m Sorry,” Edelgard breathed out, in a rush to get out of the classroom. Hubert nodded, instantly understanding. She rushed outside of the school, making her way to Byleth’s house. 

The air was crisp and the leaves crunched as she stepped on them. Usually, this brought her immense glee, and while it did make her happy now, she still felt as if a part of her was missing. 

Edelgard made her way to Byleth’s house. She felt a bit of apprehension as she stood on the front porch, but she was filled with anticipation to see Byleth. She knocked on the door and stood there, but no one came to the door. She knocked again, and still, nobody came. She assumed Coach Eisner wasn’t home, and Byleth was asleep. She stood in the front of the door mulling over her options when she heard a voice from behind her.

“Here to see Byleth?” Jeralt asked as he approached the door. Edelgard stepped aside to allow him to access the front door. “She must have fallen asleep,” Jeralt said as he unlocked the door, opening it and going inside, gesturing for Edelgard to follow. 

“Sorry about the intrusion again, sir. I have some notes to give her,” Edelgard said. 

“That's okay, she should be in her room. You know where it is already,” Jeralt said. 

Edelgard nodded in response and made her way upstairs towards Byleth’s room. She noticed the door was already opened, she peaked her head inside and saw that Byleth was asleep. 

_Just drop the notes off and leave._ Edelgard told herself. She stepped into the room, walking over to Byleth’s desk. She took off her book bag and placed it on the desk, slowly unzipping it in an attempt to not wake Byleth. As she placed the notes on the desk, she heard the sleeping figure begin to stir. Edelgard tensed up, turning around slowly to look at the girl. Byleth was laying on her side facing Edelgard. Her eyes fluttered open. 

“Hey,” Byleth croaked, surprisingly calm given that Edelgard was in her room with no context. 

“Oh, hey, Byleth. Sorry for waking you. I’m just here to drop off today’s notes. I photocopied mine during study hall so you wouldn’t have to write them for yourself,” Edelgard said, walking towards Byleth. 

“Thanks. I probably won’t be at school tomorrow either, though,” Byleth sighed, sitting up to grab the water bottle resting on her nightstand. 

“That’s okay. It’s important to rest,” Edelgard smiled. She did feel a bit upset hearing that, though. 

Byleth smiled. “Thank you again for bringing the notes,” She yawned, her eyes looking heavy again. 

Edelgard nodded. “You look exhausted. I have to get going now, so use this time to get some more sleep,” she said as she walked back over to her book bag, zipped it back up and put it on her back. As she made her way out of the room, she looked at Byleth again and wished she could stay with the girl. “Feel better soon, text me if you need anything.” 

* * *

The next day Edelgard felt even more empty when the chair next to her was vacant once again. She twirled her pencil, her mind drifting off to thoughts of Byleth. She felt sad that the girl was at home alone. 

“Thank you for delivering yesterday’s notes to Ms. Eisner yesterday, Ms. Hsrevelg,” Professor Essar said to her as he handed her a worksheet. “She emailed me this morning, and I sent her our PowerPoint, so she has the notes for today.” Edelgard nodded, a little disappointed she did not have an excuse to visit Byleth again. She sighed and attempted to focus on class. 

The day moved along slowly. Every moment Edelgard got, she thought about Byleth. During lunch, Edelgard was quiet, she wore a frown and sighed periodically. 

“Sad your girlfriend isn't here again?” Dorothea asked. Edelgard shot her a look.

“It’s just weird to not have her here,” Edelgard said. 

“Why can’t you just admit you like her?” Dorothea sighed. Edelgard wanted to reach over and strangle the girl. 

“Maybe it's because I don’t like her like that,” Edelgard snapped., She instantly regretted uttering those words. 

_I do not like her like that. I do_ not _like her. She is just my friend,_ Edelgard repeated in her head. 

After school, Edelgard and Hubert walked home from school. It was silent, besides the sound of Edelgard’s shoe scraping against the concrete of the sidewalk. Her lips were pressed together; she seemed to be deep in thought.

“Edelgard,” Hubert said, getting the attention of the girl, “what’s wrong?” 

She gave a heavy sigh, weighing the consequences of admitting her problem. She figured it would be okay. She trusted Hubert to keep a secret. “I think something is wrong with me.” 

“What do you mean? Are you sick?” Hubert asked, raising one of his nonexistent eyebrows. 

“Every time I think about Byleth, I just feel strange. Sometimes I feel really relaxed around her, and other times I feel like I'm about to have a heart attack. And now with her being sick, I just feel like crying because she isn’t here,” Edelgard explained, placing her head in her hands. “I thought everything would be okay after our chat, but now I’m scared I’m going to screw everything up again.” 

“I hate to break it to you, but it sounds like you have a crush on her,” Hubert chuckled. 

“No, I don't,” Edelgard retorted. 

“You act like it’s a bad thing,” Hubert laughed. “There is nothing to be ashamed about. Who knows, maybe Byleth likes you back?” 

Edelgard felt her face heating up. “Byleth would never like me back, so it wouldn’t even matter,” she lowered her head, covering her mouth when she realized what she said. 

Hubert smiled. “So you do like her. You just don’t think she likes you back.” Edelgard slowly nodded, realizing she had no escape.“You should talk to Dorothea. Even if she is a bit overbearing, she can help you much more than I can.” 

“You’re the one with the boyfriend, though.” 

“Maybe so, but Dorothea was helpful from time to time,” Hubert shrugged.

“I guess. I’ll talk to her later,” Edelgard sighed. The two continued their walk home. 

Hubert said his goodbye to Edelgard. As he walked towards his house, he pulled out his phone and sent a text to Dorothea, telling her to call Edelgard tonight. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
> 
> I hope you are all enjoying this story so far. Honestly, I'm quite surprised people actually like this! 
> 
> also, co-author/editor zerimagi is looking for anyone willing to give up their tonsils so she can make earrings. 
> 
> Have a great day/night! <3 - Dooni/Dani


	12. Chapter 12

Edelgard sat at her desk working on homework and trying to push Byleth out of her mind. The sound of her phone ringing made her leap. She got up from her chair and ran over to her bed where her phone was laying. It was Dorothea.

“Hello?” Edelgard said.

“Edie! Hi!” Dorothea exclaimed, “Whatcha doing? Thinking about your girlfriend?”

Edelgard let out a sigh of annoyance. “Nope. I’m just doing some homework. Is there something you need?”

“Well I don’t need anything, but a little birdie told me that you needed an appointment with the love doctor, so here I am!” 

Edelgard rolled her eyes. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Well, this little birdie said to me that you have a crush on someone, but they didn’t say who,” Dorothea giggled. 

Edelgard, who was now at her desk again, gripped the pencil in her hand so hard it nearly broke. She was going to kill Hubert. She knew the only way to get out of this would be to hang up, but then Dorothea would show up at her house. Edelgard sighed, “I’m sure you already know who it is, but I don’t really know myself.” 

“Yes! You know I saw it coming from the beginning. Not to pat myself on the back or anything, but you know I have the eye for these things,” Dorothea rambled.

“Well I might like Byleth, but I really don’t know! I’ve never felt this before. Can you just help me figure this out before you start teasing me?”

“Okay well, first, let me ask you this. Why do you like Byleth?” Dorothea asked.

At that moment Edelgard’s brain had died. She could not think of a single thing. She began to panic. What _ if I don’t actually like her? Oh gods.  _ She began to travel down her path of what if’s. “I… um... she’s pretty?” Edelgard attempted to answer. Dorothea was silent. She took this as a sign to list more things. “She’s sweet and hardworking, and…” Edelgard let out a groan. “I don’t know! I just feel so different around her. It's like a warm embrace, but it’s also like she’s also choking me.” Edelgard put her head on her desk. She was confused.

“Ah, young love,” Dorothea sighed. 

“You’re starting to sound like Lorenz,” Edelgard said, unamused by her teasing. 

“Well, based on what I am hearing, I diagnose you with lesbainism!” Dorothea announced. Edelgard groaned once again, her cheeks burning at the thought of ever confessing to Byleth. 

“Dorothea, I’m not gay,” Edelgard pointed out. 

“Edelgard, I have a list of things that I have seen over the countless years I have known you that I could use to prove you are at least a little bit gay. Number one, you never, and I mean never, play male characters if you don’t have to when we’re playing fighting games. Number two, growing up you always hung around the boys. You were such a tomboy, and most of the tomboys I know today are gay. Would you like me to continue?” Dorothea asked. “Well, too bad if you didn’t want me to because I am. Number three, the photo from Sylvain’s party.” 

“How did you get that?” Edelgard yelled into her phone. She felt her body tense up, and she began to sweat. 

“Sylvain and I are tight. He shows me all the goodies,” Dorothea laughed. “That photo, oh boy, if I didn’t know any better, I would say you two were dating. Also, I’ll have you know that Caspar was the one who took the photo. I had him spy on you two while I was doing  _ things _ ,” Dorothea trailed off. “Plus your behavior yesterday and today! You’ve been worried sick over Byleth. You’ve never been that worried about Hubert or even me when we’re sick!” Edelgard was silent. She knew Dorothea was right. “If Byleth asked you out, would you say yes?”

“Probably,” Edelgard said, her voice lowering to a whisper. She stared up at her ceiling. “But it doesn’t matter, I doubt she even likes me anyway,” Edelgard said, trying to avoid getting her hopes up. 

“Well, I wouldn’t jump to that so quickly, Edie. There might be some hope for you.” 

“What do you mean?” she asked. 

“That would spoil all the fun if I told you.” Dorothea said slyly. “So, will you agree with the fact that you have a crush on Byleth and are at least a little gay?” 

Edelgard sighed, “Fine.” 

“Alright! So, you should totally ask her out soon! Oh, I know! Do it over thanksgiving break! Then you can spend the holiday break with her and then have an established relationship by prom! You two will be so cute! You  _ have  _ to get matching dresses.” 

“You are thinking way too far ahead. How do I even ask someone out? I don’t even know how to be in a relationship!” Edelgard chewed her lip, wondering if asking Byleth out would be a good idea.

Dorothea let out a groan, “You have so much to learn. Don’t worry, though! You have me to help!” 

“What would I do without you?” She said in a sarcastic tone.

“Probably die alone. Alright, Edie, I'll let you go now. Love you!” Dorothea said as she made a kissing sound, and hung up the phone. Edelgard groaned again, getting up from her desk chair and jumped face-first into her bed, smashing her face into a pillow. She wanted to scream. She rolled over and just stared at her ceiling, thinking about Byleth. It made her feel good. 

_ I have a crush on Byleth Eisner. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!
> 
> I am so so so sorry about the lack of updates this week! I'm also sorry about this chapter being late! I will do my utmost best in the future to stay on top of updating.
> 
> Even though this chapter was short I hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> Have a great day/night! <3 - Dooni/Dani 
> 
> also follow me on twitter at @cornonthecabio or on tumblr at @dooni-marooni


	13. Chapter 13

It was the day before Thanksgiving break. All of the students of Garreg Mach were anxious to get out of school and enjoy a much-needed break. Edelgard was sitting at the lunch table with her usual group. Dorothea was staring at Edelgard, trying to encourage her to talk to Byleth about making plans. Edelgard nodded in understanding. 

“So, Byleth, what are you doing over the break? Are you free at all?” Edelgard asked, turning to face the girl.

Byleth sighed, “I would love to hang out, but I’m going to my grandparents’ house for the break.” She frowned. Edelgard felt embarrassed; she felt her cheeks heat up. Her mind began to race, worried that the plan she had created was already falling through.

“Oh, well I hope you have fun!” Edelgard said, feeling disappointed. 

“Hey, Edie, are you going to be having your famous Christmas party this year?” Dorothea asked. She seemed to be bouncing out of her seat. “We  _ have  _ to do a Secret Santa!”

“Yeah, I think so. I’ll have to talk to Dimitri about it, but a Secret Santa sounds fun.”

“Yes! I call assigning who gives what!” Dorothea cheered. 

“Okay, but let’s get through Thanksgiving first,” Edelgard said, predicting what Dorothea had in mind for the secret Santa. 

* * *

Edelgard was laying on the couch in the living room, something she had not done for a while. She was bored, given that she had no homework assigned over the break. She was watching television, flipping through the channels. She heard Dimitri walk down the stairs. He came down and stopped at the foot of the stairs, staring at the picture on the television.

“Hey, El, you wanna play Smash Bros?” he asked as he walked over to the Nintendo Switch, grabbing their pro controllers.

“Sure,” Edelgard responded, shifting into a sitting position to allow Dimitri to sit next to her, taking one of the controllers from his hand. He started up the game. Dimitri decided to play as Trevor Belmont, while Edelgard picked Zelda. 

“How are you beating me? I’m a pro at Trevor,” Dimitri grumbled. Edelgard laughed, continuing to kick his ass at the game.

“It’s just because I’m better,” Edelgard shrugged. 

“You haven’t touched the switch in three months!” Dimitri cried, clearly upset that he was being beaten. As they were playing, they lost track of time. The two got pulled out of their  gaming frenzy by the sound of the front door opening and heels clicking on the floor. Their mother was home. She was the CFO for a  prestigious company , so she was always dressed like a million bucks. 

“Hi, guys!” Patricia said as she stepped into the living room. “This is new. Are you two playing your game together?” 

“Yup!” Edelgard replied, focusing on their currently ongoing match.

“Cool! Well, I’ll have dinner ready in a few. Dad will be home late tonight so we’re going to eat without him,” Patricia said as she walked past them, heading to the kitchen. 

“Okay!” the two said in unison from the couch. The two continued to play until they heard their mom call for them. 

“Can we resume this after we eat?” Dimitri asked, slouching over in defeat. Out of the twelve matches they had played, he won two. 

“I think you just want to stop losing, but okay,” Edelgard laughed as she got up to turn the TV off. The two made their way to the kitchen, their plates sitting on top of the kitchen island, which served as the dining table, as their actual dining room was way too fancy to eat normal dinners in. Patricia was sitting on a stool across from where she placed the plates for the two of them. Edelgard and Dimitri took their respective seats.

“So how was your day?” Patricia asked, trying to engage with her daughter and stepson.

“It was quick. Not much happened,” Edelgard said, cutting her food. 

“Yea, same. I’m sad I won’t get to see Claude this weekend though,” Dimitri sighed. Claude was going to his grandfather’s for the break. 

“He’ll be back soon enough. Plus you guys can always text. Back in my day, you had to hope they had a landline or a payphone nearby,” Patrica joked. The two chuckled in response. 

“Speaking of relationships, how are you and that girl doing, El?” Dimitri wondered aloud.

“What?” Patricia asked. Edelgard’s cheeks began to burn once again. She forgot she had told her mom absolutely nothing. “Who is this girl you are speaking of?” 

“You didn’t tell mom?” Dimitri asked. He looked apologetic.

“Uh, no,” Edelgard gulped as she looked at her mom. “At the beginning of the year there was a new girl, her name is Byleth, and I may or may not have a crush on her.” Dimitri looked at her and raised an eyebrow in surprise. He had not expected her to come to that revelation so quickly. 

“Aw, my little baby is in love,” Patrica cooed, Edelgard blushed. “Well if you need any help, you know I am always here!” 

“Um. Yeah, thanks,” Edelgard blushed again, not used to the attention she was receiving from her mom. 

After dinner, Edelgard decided to hang back to help her mom with the dishes. Dimitri went into the living room, excusing himself after his phone rang, Claude was calling him. The two ladies were standing at the kitchen sink, Patricia was doing the washing and Edelgard was drying them. 

“Dimitri and Claude are adorable together,” Patricia sighed. Edelgard nodded in agreement. “But it would be nice to see my daughter have someone of her own.” Patrica nudged Edelgard. “You should invite this girl sometime when I’m home. I’d love to meet her.” 

Patricia’s behavior reminded Edelgard of Dorothea. She laughed, “Sometime soon, mom.” 

Edelgard finished helping her mom with the dishes, so she went back into the living room. Dimitri was now facetiming Claude. 

“Hey, El!” Claude waved. Edelgard waved, turning the tv back on and handing Dimitri another pro controller.

“Ready to watch me kick your boyfriend's ass?” Edelgard asked. Dimitri huffed. 

“Don’t worry, Dimitri. I won’t love you any less, even if you are a disappointment,” Claude teased. Dimitri glared at him. 

* * *

“Ha! Finally, it’s about time,” Dimitri boasted. He beat Edelgard after ten more games. Edelgard and Claude both clapped. 

“Good job. I knew you could do it,” Claude praised. Voices could be heard off-camera. “Okay, give me a few,” Claude responded to the voice. “Hey Dim, I gotta go, but I’ll text you later. Love you!” Claude said as he blew a kiss to the camera. 

“Okay, see you later! Love you, too,” Dimitri said as he also blew a kiss to the camera. Edelgard jokingly gagged. With that, the call ended. Suddenly, the two heard the front door open. “Dad must be home,” Dimitri said aloud. 

“Hey, Dimitri, El, where is your mother?” Lambert asked as he stepped into the living room, briefcase in hand. 

“I think she’s in her office doing some paperwork,” Edelgard suggested. Lambert nodded, making his way upstairs to his wife’s office.

“Ready to see the family tomorrow?” Dimitri asked, falling back into the couch.

Edelgard groaned, “Don’t remind me.” She liked most of her family, but she could not stand her uncle who would be there.  He was always rude to Dimitri and Lambert. She had trouble keeping her mouth whenever he would say something she did not like, and usually, it led to her getting in trouble. 

“Well, they are family after all. Just do what I do; nod and smile, but then talk shit about them with your friends later,” Dimitri suggested. 

“I'll try,” Edelgard stretched, thinking about what Byleth could be doing right now. “I think I’m done playing for now. Maybe we can play tomorrow or something.” Dimitri nodded and pulled out his phone. She decided to make her way upstairs to her room. 

It was about eight o’clock, but it felt much earlier. She felt revitalized. She really needed that time with her mom and Dimitri before tomorrow. Her phone remained on her desk the entire afternoon and night. When she picked it up, she noticed there was a text from Byleth from three hours ago.

**Hey Edelgard. What’re you up to?**

_ Oh gods, she probably thinks I’m ignoring her again! _ Edelgard opened her phone and began typing as fast as her fingers could move

**Hey! I’m so sorry! I’m not ignoring you, I just left my phone upstairs, I was playing video games with Dimitri.** She hit send. As she waited for a response, she decided to change into her pajamas. When she finished changing, she saw that Byleth had texted her back.

**It’s totally okay! I’m just bored during the car ride lol. 3 more hours! Whoop. So, are you excited for Thanksgiving?**

**Eh, I like the holiday and the food and seeing some of my family. I could go without some of them. How about you?**

**Aw man, well I hope it goes well tomorrow! I’m pretty excited, I haven’t seen my grandparents since the move, I know it’s only been like two months but it feels weird because I used to see them every day.** Edelgard laughed, finding it cute how much Byleth loved her grandparents. 

**Yeah, I bet. I hope you have fun!** Edelgard responded, and hoped she was not making the conversation dry.

**Thank you!**

After that, Byleth didn’t text again for the rest of the night. Edelgard figured she might have fallen asleep, or she had to take over driving. Edelgard tried not to overthink about it because she knew it would lead her to conclude Byleth was bored of her, when that was probably not true.  To take her mind off of it, she decided to use the TV that was in her room for the first time in months. She sat on her bed and put on a random reality tv show. She allowed herself to get lost in the show. A knocking at her pulled her from her daze. “Yeah?” The door opened. Her mother and stepfather walked in. 

“Hey sweetie, can we talk?” Lambert asked. 

“Sure, what’s up?” Edelgard asked, pausing her show. She shifted her body to face her parents.

“We just wanted to remind you to be polite and respectful tomorrow. As you know, Uncle Volkhard will be coming over, and I know you two don’t get along, but  _ please _ do not start an argument with him. If he says something rude or something you don’t agree with, just try to ignore it. We haven’t seen him since last year’s Thanksgiving,” Patrica explained, Lambert nodding along

“Who knows? Maybe you two will agree on some things this year,” Lambert added in sarcastically, trying to hide his distaste for his brother-in-law. Patrica elbowed him. 

“Fine. I’ll try my best, but no problems. But if he goes after Dimitri….” Edelgard trailed off. 

“Dimitri can handle himself, darling. Just try to get along with him tomorrow. It might make dinner tomorrow a little smoother,” Patricia suggested. Edelgard nodded, deciding to give in to her parent’s wishes. 

“Thanks, sweetie, goodnight,” Patricia came over and gave her a kiss on her head, and then turned to leave. Once they left, Edelgard reached for her phone again. The time read eleven o’clock. Her eyes went big, as she had been watching tv for three hours. Her phone suddenly dinged with a text. 

**Ahaha I’m so sorry, I meant to text you some more but I fell asleep!** Edelgard giggled, imagining how flustered Byleth was looking right now.

**It’s okay! Are you all settled in now? How was the drive?**

**Yep! It was long but we’re here now. Unfortunately, we get to do it all over again Sunday!** Edelgard sent a frowny face at this, and Byleth responded with a laughing emoji.

Edelgard felt her fingers typing a response.  **Even though I just saw you today, I already miss you.** The message felt weird and overbearing to her, so she decided she would delete it. Instead of that, her thumb slipped up and the message was sent. She froze, cursing at herself for being so careless. Byleth probably thought she was a clingy weirdo. 

**To be honest, same. It’s weird.** Byleth responded and Edelgard let out a sigh, glad Byleth did not think of her as a clingy weirdo. As much as she didn’t want to, she figured she needed some rest, especially after a mishap like that.

**Well, I think I should try and go to sleep. Busy day tomorrow! Night, Byleth. I’ll talk to you soon!**

**Okay, goodnight!** With that, Edelgard put her phone on her nightstand, plugging it in to charge. She rolled back onto her back and tried to fall asleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! This chapter was really fun to write. The next chapter will have something we all love, (っ◔◡◔)っ ♥ family drama ♥ so hopefully, it won't be too uncomfortable for y'all. 
> 
> Have a great day/night! <3 - Dooni/Dani
> 
> also if you like danganronpa check out my new one-shot 𝖌𝖔𝖙𝖍 𝖎𝖍𝖔𝖕! Maybe I'll do something similar for FE!


	14. Chapter 14

Edelgard stirred, her phone alarm going off. She groaned, annoyed at herself for forgetting to turn it off the previous night. It was -six in the morning. She sighed, believing the day had begun way too soon, and she knew it wouldn’t be over soon enough. She was excited to see her stepfamily, but she could not stand her mother’s brother. Her mother only invited him and his wife because she felt bad. He was the only family on her side that she had left. Edelgard sighed, leaning back into her pillow, closing her eyes and trying to get a few more minutes of peace. She laid there for a while, eyes still shut, trying to force herself to fall back asleep. Her efforts were futile. She decided to just get up, stretching as she got up from her bed, and decided to go to the kitchen. 

“Good morning,” Lambert said to her, sitting on a stool at the kitchen island. Patrica was cutting vegetables. 

“Morning,” Edelgard said as she rummaged through the cabinet, looking for a bowl to put cereal in. “Mom, can I help you when I’m done eating?” Her mom nodded her head in approval. Edelgard’s favorite thing about Thanksgiving was helping her mom cook. She liked cooking, but she never had the time to actually do it. Once she finished her breakfast, her mom pointed to potatoes that needed to be peeled. 

“Everyone should be here by at least four o’clock,” Lambert said, typing away on his laptop. 

“Fun,” Edelgard said, sarcasm dripping from her voice. Her mother glared at her. 

“You better behave. I mean it, Edelgard.” 

“I will!” Edelgard insisted. 

All of the dinner prep was finished up. Edelgard excused herself to go upstairs, figuring she would take a shower and get dressed. She allowed the hot water to melt the tension in her shoulders away. While in the shower, she began to think about Byleth, wondering what she was doing and what it would be like to spend a holiday with her. She hummed in happiness, feeling the warmth spread through her body at the pleasing thoughts. When she got out of the shower, she began to dry herself off, feeling annoyed with her hair. She had to make sure to brush it well so it would look nice. When she finally got dressed, she gave a look at herself in the mirror. She wore a denim miniskirt, a red and black plaid button-up over a cropped tank top, and her favorite platform shoes. 

_This screams lesbian, but who cares!_ Edelgard smiled at herself, trying to give herself a confidence boost. _I should text Byleth, and see how she’s doing._ Edelgard made her way back to her room and grabbed her phone from the desk and jumped onto her bed so she was lying on her stomach. Her cat, Anselma, waltzed into her room, meowing at her. She picked up the cat and scratched her head. “Hi pretty kitty,” Edelgard said in a baby voice. She took a selfie with the cat, remembering that Byleth was quite fond of Anselma, and she sent the photo to her. 

**Anselma says happy thanksgiving!** Edelgard typed. As she waited for a response she continued to play and cuddle with the cat. 

**Happy Thanksgiving! You and Anselma both look so cute!** Byleth responded, Edelgard felt her cheeks redden, and she tried to think of a reply. 

**Not as cute as you thought,** Edelgard typed, sending it with finger gun emojis. She groaned when she realized what she sent. 

_You idiot! Now you’ve probably weirded her out. Oh gods, perfect, just what I need._ Her phone buzzed, Byleth had responded. She opened her phone, the response was a photo of Byleth in front of a mirror, showing her outfit off. She wore a navy skirt and a white blouse. 

**Nope! You look much more fancy and cute than me** , Byleth retorted. 

**I reiterate my point. You look cuter.** Edelgard continued to tease, suddenly, she heard her name being called from downstairs. **I have to help my mom out, but we’ll continue this later.** Edelgard placed her phone into her pocket and jumped off of her bed, making her way out of her bedroom. 

“Well, you look nice!” Patricia said, wiping the leather couch with some wipes, doing some last-minute cleaning.

“Thanks. Should I put Anselma in my room? I know Yuri is allergic.” Yuri was one of her cousins coming over. His father, Rufus, had adopted him as a child. 

“Probably. If Juliana and Matthias want to see her, just take them to your room.” Edelgard nodded in understanding. She was happy she would get to see her cousins. While Yuri was about 19, Matthias and Juliana were eight and ten respectively. They looked up to Edelgard and Dimtri, always wanting to impress them with new things they have learned. As much as she loved them, she wished that their father, Volkhard, was nicer. Maybe then she would be able to see them more often. 

* * *

She heard the doorbell ring. Currently, she was sitting on the couch, scrolling through her phone. 

“I’ll get it!” Lambert announced as he walked swiftly to the door, pulling it over. “Rufus! Yuri! It’s great to see you two, come in!” 

“Lambert! We brought the green beans,” Rufus said as he handed Lambert a dish. 

“Hello Uncle Lambert,” Yuri said, stiff as ever. Edelgard stood up from her spot on the couch to go greet everyone.

“Edelgard! Look how much you’ve grown!” Rufus laughed. She chuckled, knowing he says that every year. She knows she has not grown at all; she had not grown a single inch since freshman year. Dimitri came into the living room. 

“Oh, hi Uncle Rufus, Yuri,” Dimitri said as he shook their hands. After they were all done saying their hellos, Rufus followed Lambert into the kitchen to go say hello to Patricia, leaving the two with Yuri. “So, Yuri, how’s college?” Dimitri asked, trying to make a conversation. Yuri was currently at Rowe University, majoring in business. 

“It’s alright. Different, have you two thought about your college choice?” Dimitri and Edelgard nervously laughed. 

“Not yet. I’ve sent all the applications and that stuff but I haven’t heard back from any of them yet,” Edelgard said. Dimitri nodding in agreement. They both had spent the majority of their summer working on applications for colleges, and each applied to around four. Edelgard was aiming for Enbarr University due to the fact that they were well known for their respectable history department. Dimitri on the other hand was aiming for the University of Fhirdiad. 

“Well, you still have time. Hopefully, you guys get in.” The doorbell rang again. Edelgard mentally groaned, not ready for the fun to begin. Patricia rushed to the door and opened the door. 

“Hi, Aunt Patricia!” Juliana and Matthias chirped together. 

“Hello, you two! Look how big you are! Hello Brother, Cornelia,” Patricia smiled. “Come in,” Patricia said as she led them all to the living room. Juliana ran straight to Edelgard, hugging her legs. Edelgard crouched down and hugged her back, glad her cousin liked her, even if her uncle didn’t. Matthias stayed back with his mother and father. 

“Hi Juliana!” Edelgard cooed. 

“Hello Uncle Volkhard, Aunt Cornelia,” Dimitri said, shaking their hands as well. 

“Hello,” Edelgard said, just waving to the two. Cornelia and Volkhard nodded. Matthias walked up to Dimtri, shaking his hand, then he walked over to Edelgard, shaking her hand. Her heart melted. She wasn’t the biggest fan of children, but when they were cute and respectable, she felt her cold heart melt. 

“Well you guys can hang out in here,” Patricia said to the kids. “I have some wine in the kitchen,” she said to Volkhard and Cornelia.

Edelgard crouched down to Juliana and Matthias’s level, “Do you guys wanna see my kitty? She’s in my room right now because Yuri is allergic to her.” The two nodded their heads eagerly. She led them upstairs and to her room. 

“Your room is so cool!” Juliana said, amazed at the simple teenage girl bedroom. Edelgard laughed, walking over to her bed, and she picked Anselma up. 

“Here she is! She may look mean, but she’s a big sweetie,” Edelgard said, kissing the kitty on the top of her head. She walked over to Juliana and Matthias who were sitting on the floor. She sat down with them. “Who wants her first?” Matthias raised his hand. She placed Anselma in his lap. “Just pet her on her head, she really likes that.” Matthias pet her gently, Anselma purred, nuzzling her head into his thigh. “She likes you!” Edelgard said. Matthias looked up at her with a toothy grin. “Ready to give your sister a turn?” She asked as she noticed Juliana was getting a bit impatient. Matthias nodded, allowing Edelgard to pick Anselma up and place her in Juliana’s lap.

“There you two are!” Cornelia said as she walked into the room. Edelgard tensed up immediately, worried she would have a problem with this. 

“Mommy!” Matthias said, running over to his mother. 

“It’s time to get washed up for dinner.” Juliana and Matthias got up and left. Edelgard placed Anselma back on her bed, petting the kitty again. She took a deep breath and left her room to go downstairs for dinner. 

* * *

Thanksgiving dinner was one of Edelgard’s favorite meals food-wise. This thankfully meant she was a little too absorbed into her meal to really talk. Yuri and Dimitri talked with Lambert, Rufus, and Volkhard; they were currently discussing politics. Cornelia was bragging to Patricia and Edelgard about Juliana and Matthias. 

“So Edelgard, I wonder, do you have a boyfriend?” Cornelia asked. Edelgard laughed. 

“No, I’m not really looking to get into a relationship, especially since I’ll probably be leaving for college.” Cornelia nodded at her response.

“But she does have a crush on some girl in her class,” Patricia started, nudging Edelgard, excited for her daughter. 

“Mom,” Edelgard groaned in embarrassment. 

“Oh boy, I feel bad for whoever that is,” Volkhard said aloud. 

_Here we go…_ Edelgard thought. “And why is that?” Patricia kicked her under the table. 

“You are just like your mother, stubborn and opinionated. Honestly, I wasn’t surprised when she got a divorce. I was more surprised she married you!” Volkhard shrugged and gestured to Lambert. “Women should be seen, not heard, and you are the opposite of that.” 

“I try my best,” she responded dryly. 

“And are you still with that boy, Dimitri?” Rufus asked, trying to change the subject. Dimitri nodded, his mouth full because he was chewing on a dinner roll. “That’s nice.” 

He swallowed the roll. “Yeah, we’ve been together over a year now.” 

“I don’t understand why you are with him, though. You could definitely find a nice wife with your looks, Dimitri,” Volkhard said. 

“Um” Dimitri stammered, “Well, I enjoy being with Claude, so I don’t exactly plan on searching for a ‘wife,’” Dimitri said, blushing in embarrassment. 

“I think that’s fair enough,” Lambert said, trying to save his son from further embarrassment. “Excellent food by the way, Dear.” The whole table nodded in agreement. 

“Would anyone like dessert?” Patricia asked, beginning to stand up to go to the kitchen. Dessert was calm. The adults talked amongst themselves. Edelgard and Dimitri were talking to Juliana and Matthais, asking them all about school and the things going on in their life. 

“I like playing soccer!” Matthias told Dimitri

“Really? I’m really good at soccer. I’m the captain for our school,” Dimitri said. Matthias was looking at him in awe. 

“What do you do, Ellie?” Juliana asked.

“I don’t do any sports, but I’m the student council president, so I get to help make decisions for events like our prom and graduation.” 

“That’s so cool!” Matthias and Juliana said in unison. Edelgard laughed at their synchronization. 

* * *

Dessert had gone much smoother than expected. Dimitri and Edelgard excused themselves, going into the living room. Juliana, Matthias and Yuri followed. 

“Do you guys wanna play Smash?” Dimitri asked, trying to keep the kids occupied. Matthias nodded his head eagerly. Dimitri handed him a controller as he got the game set up. 

Dimitri did not have to hold back. Even Matthias, who was eight years old, beat him with ease. Dimitri jokingly hung his head in defeat. His phone began ringing. It was Claude again. “One second, Matt,” Dimitri said as he turned away from the boy and answered the facetime call. 

“Hey!” Claude said, waving. He saw the small child behind Dimitri. “Oh! You still got family over?” Dimitri nodded. Matthias looked over his shoulder. 

“Who’s that?” He asked, pointing to the phone.

Claude chuckled. “I’m his boyfriend!” he stated proudly. Dimitri was sweating bullets. He did not want to have to explain this to a small child tonight. 

“Oh, cool,” Matthias shrugged, turning back to his original position on the couch. “Can we play?” 

“Sure. You okay with Claude watching?” Matthias nodded. With that, they resumed their game. 

Edelgard was on the other couch in the living room, sitting with Yuri and Juliana. They were watching Dimitri get pummeled by an eight-year-old.

* * *

It was about 10 o’clock at night when the families decided it was time to part ways. Goodbyes were said, hugs were given, and leftovers were handed out. Edelgard felt like she was going to pass out, yet she offered to do the dishes, telling her mom to go to bed. Her mom looked dead tired, as she had been up working since at least six in the morning. 

As she got started on the dishes, she saw a message from Byleth. 

**Hi! Are you able to talk?** Byleth texted.

**Sure, but I’m doing dishes right now. Could you facetime? It would probably be easier. Plus it would be nice to see your face haha.**

**Sure.** With that, Edelgard’s phone began ringing. 

“Hi!” Byleth waved. Edelgard waved back. “How was your night?” Byleth asked, settling onto a bed, lying on her stomach. 

“It was okay. Really long.” Edelgard said as she scrubbed the dishes. She gave a yawn. Byleth pouted.

“You look so tired! You better go to bed after you’re done,” Byleth demanded. 

“I will. Don’t worry, I just have a few more dishes to wash,” Edelgard laughed. “How was your dinner?” 

“It was good! I was really happy to see my grandparents. I might not text a lot tomorrow, though, ‘cause I’ll be hanging out with them.”

“That’s okay. I’m so glad you’re having fun,” Edelgard smiled. 

“Same, but I miss you. It’s weird being so far away,” Byleth said. “But I’ll see you on Monday!”

“Yeah, before we know it, it’ll be winter break,” Edelgard said, beginning to make her way to her room. Maybe we could hang out over then if you aren’t going away.” 

“Sure! That sounds like fun.” Byleth said enthusiastically. Edelgard yawned again. “Okay El, it’s time for you to go to bed.” Edelgard was now the one who was pouting. She didn’t want to say goodbye yet.

“No,” Edelgard groaned. “I’m fine.” Her eyes felt heavy, but she wanted to stay on the phone with Byleth. 

“Edelgard, you should really go to bed,” Byleth said stubbornly. 

“Okay, fine.” Edelgard gave in. 

“Goodnight, El. I’ll talk to you soon. Sleep tight!” Byleth said, waving. Edelgard waved back, hitting the end call button. She turned her phone off and sighed. She figured she should actually go to bed, so she changed into her pajamas quickly and slipped under her covers. While she laid there, she thought about what it would be like to have Byleth lying next to her. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Sorry that I posted this one later than usual, I fell asleep before I could post it then I had to make some edits on this chapter that I forgot! 
> 
> Hopefully, this chapter wasn't to cringe lol. 
> 
> Have a great day/night! <3 - Dooni/Dani


	15. Chapter 15

“Hey, guys!” Dorothea said, dance-walking over to the lunch table. I drew lots to figure out everyone’s Secret Santa assignments over the break. I’ll come over and whisper it into your ear!” She started with Hubert and made her way around the table. When she got to Edelgard, she whispered the name she had expected. “Byleth.” Dorothea took a step back. “That takes care of all of you! Now to Dimitri’s table!” she said as she made her way across the cafeteria. 

Edelgard’s mind was racing, thinking about what to get her.  _ What does she even like? _ She was knocked out of her thoughts when she heard Dorothea begin talking again. 

“Holiday season is starting now that we’re into December, so an outdoor ice rink is opening up this weekend. We should all totally go and check it out!” 

“I don’t know how to ice skate, though,” Edelgard raised concern.

“I’ll teach you!” Byleth said. “I used to ice skate all the time.” Edelgard nodded. 

“Yes! It’ll be a triple date!” Dorothea exclaimed. Edelgard was about to reach across the table and strangle the girl. “I’m gonna text Petra!” 

That night Edelgard was on her laptop trying to come up with a list of potential things that she could get for Byleth. During lunch, they had all agreed to put a thirty dollar limit on gifts. It was only the first week of December. She had at least three more weeks until the party, but this did not stop her from panicking. 

_ I can’t just be like, “Hey what do you like?” I’m such an awful friend. I don’t even know what she likes! _ She figured she couldn’t ask anybody else because then she would be forced to give away who she had. Edelgard decided to give up for the night, slamming her laptop closed in frustration. 

* * *

Edelgard in her car driving her friends to the ice rink. Hubert was in the passenger seat next to Edelgard, while Ferdinand, Dorothea, and Byleth all sat in the back. Petra was going to be meeting them there. Edelgard’s stomach was in knots. Her hands gripped the wheel tighter as she drove. Worried about making a fool of herself, she took a deep breath, pulling into the parking lot for the outdoor rink. She parked the car and turned it off. Feeling the freezing breeze nip her ears, she pulled the beanie on her head to cover her ears. 

“Petra!” Dorothea called out, running over to the girl walking towards them. She picked her up and gave her a kiss on the cheek, spinning her around. 

“It’s cold,” Ferdinand whined, leaning into Hubert. Hubert scowled before linking his hand with Ferdinand, trying to keep the boy warm. The group began to walk to the fenced area of the rink, paying the admission and walking over to a booth where they could rent their skates. 

“Maybe I can just watch you guys?” Edelgard said nervously, watching everyone else tie their skates. She stood there like a deer in headlights, holding the skates by the laces in her hand. Byleth walked over to her. 

“How about you try it? I’ll help you, here.” Byleth said, pushing on Edelgard’s shoulder gently to get her to sit on the bench behind her. Edelgard sighed and began to untie her shoes, and pulled them off, handing them to Dorothea who was taking everyone’s shoes to a cubby. She slipped the skates on, scrunching her face at how tight they were.

“Let’s go!” Dorothea cheered, making her way with Petra to the rink. Edelgard struggled to find her balance. She held onto Byleth’s arm for support. Hubert stood behind her, chuckling. She let everyone else step onto the ice first and stood at the entrance of the rink, hesitant to enter. She felt dumb for feeling so anxious over this; she wanted to turn around and find safety at the bench. 

Byleth was holding onto the railing of the rink, waiting for Edelgard to enter. She held her hand out. “Here, hold onto my hand. I won’t let you fall.” Edelgard reached out slowly, grasping the girl’s hand. It was warm. She stepped onto the ice, feeling her legs slip apart, she wobbled and tried to regain her balance. Byleth pulled on her hand, pulling her away from the entrance but staying close enough to the railing that she could hold on. Byleth began to glide on the ice, lifting her feet in an alternating pattern. Edelgard watched Byleth’s feet and repeated the pattern. A small child skated past them extremely fast. She felt embarrassed for still holding onto the railing, so she let go, hoping she could balance. “You’re doing it El!” Byleth laughed, smiling at the girl. Edelgard felt her heart swell at the praise. 

Hubert was currently clinging onto Ferdinand’s arm. Looking terrified, he was stiff as he skated along. Ferdinand kept pretending to fall and made Hubert gasp in fear. Edelgard had never seen Hubert look so afraid. She found it amusing. It distracted her from her own shortcomings when it came to ice skating. As Edelgard watched Hubert, she felt an extremely strong breeze come through.

Byleth shivered, her cheeks and nose turning red from the cold. Edelgard pulled Byleth back towards the guard rail, stopping. 

“Here, wear this,” Edelgard said as she took her scarf off of her neck and wrapped it around Byleth. “It looks cute on you,” Edelgard said, looking at the girl. Byleth’s cheeks warmed up, and so did Edelgard’s as she realized what she had said aloud. 

They had all been skating for about an hour. Ferdinand and Hubert were the first to retreat off of the ice, opting to just watch the others, followed by Edelgard and Byleth. As Edelgard sat down on the bench she sighed, turning to Hubert.

“Having fun?” She asked while she untied her skates. 

“Quite. Ferdinand gave me several heart attacks, though,” Hubert sighed. Ferdinand came up behind him, wrapping his arms around him. 

“You know I would never let you fall,” Ferdinand said, kissing his temple. Hubert simply hummed in response. 

They all decided to wait for Dorothea and Petra to finish up. Edelgard noticed Byleth was still shivering. “Do you wanna get a drink or something from the snack bar?” She asked. Byleth nodded her head. 

As the two stood in line for the snack bar, Byleth studied the menu. She unconsciously swayed closer to Edelgard. Edelgard was busy looking at the menu as well, so she did not notice. She felt a warm hand grab her own. Byleth was holding her hand. 

_ Oh gods, does she notice? Was this an accident? Do I say something? No, I do not say anything.  _ Thoughts rushed through Edelgard’s head, and her cheeks became a maddening red. They moved up in the line. Byleth still did not realize she was holding onto Edelgard’s hand. 

“Oh!” Byleth exclaimed, pulling her hand away. “Sorry about that. You’re just so warm.” Edelgard felt her heart drop at the feeling of Byleth pulling away. They made it to the counter. “I’ll have one small hot chocolate, please,” Byleth said, rummaging through her pocket for her cash. 

“Same for me,” Edelgard said, pulling out her wallet.

“I got it, El,” Byleth said as she handed the cashier her money, not giving Edelgard the chance to argue against it. The two stepped aside, waiting for their drinks to be brought to the counter. 

“Thanks, but let me at least pay you back,” Edelgard said, opening her wallet. 

“Nope!” Byleth said, turning away from Edelgard which caused her to pout. Edelgard had an idea. She pulled the money out of her wallet and held it in her hand, and she put her arms around Byleth, hugging her from behind. She looked for her pocket, sliding the money into it. Then she let go as she heard their drinks being placed down on the counter. 

“Thank you!” The two said together as they walked off with their drinks and back to their friends. 

“There you two are!” Dorothea said as she saw the two walking back. “We were making bets on what you guys were doing,” She said, winking at Edelgard. Edelgard scowled in response, her face heating up once again. They all sat on the bench, talking and watching the people skate. 

Edelgard watched Byleth enjoy her drink and was sipping at her’s occasionally as well. Hubert was complaining to Ferdinand about the cold. Ferdinand simply laughed and rubbed Hubert’s shoulder in a poor attempt to warm him up. 

“Edie, let’s go for a little walk!” Dorothea said, grabbing Edelgard’s hand. Before she could say anything, Dorothea was pulling her away from the group. She led Edelgard away from the group, letting go of her hand. “Walk with me,” She said. Edelgard gulped. Once Dorothea believed they were far enough from the group, she began to speak, “Now would be the perfect time to ask her out. Thanksgiving may not have worked, but it will definitely work now!” Edelgard began shaking her head so quickly it made her feel dizzy. “What do you mean no? Edie, she obviously likes you, and you like her!” 

“It’s not time yet. I can’t.” Edelgard struggled to get out, her throat felt like it was closing. “What if she doesn’t feel that way, though? I don’t want to make things awkward between us, especially now!” 

“I’m not telling you to marry her, Edie. Just ask her to be your girlfriend!” Dorothea smiled, “I know it seems daunting, but it's not.” 

“I can’t. I won’t. It’s not a good time,” Edelgard continued to repeat. She knew she wanted to, but the fear of rejection kept her from doing so. Dorothea scrunched her face, realizing the stress her friend was feeling. 

“Okay, okay. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to stress you out. You don’t have to, but I am positive Byleth likes you back. Do you wanna head back to the group?” Edelgard nodded. With that, they made their way back to the group. 

While they were sitting on the benches again, Edelgard felt herself studying Byleth’s features once again. She noticed the light from the lampost was reflecting off of her hair, making it look even more beautiful and blue. Every time Edelgard looked at Byleth, she felt herself falling for her over and over again. She sighed internally, wishing she had the guts to ask her out. 

* * *

It was about eleven o’clock when they all decided they were ready to go home. Dorothea was going to go home with Petra since Dorothea had invited Petra over for an impromptu sleepover. They said their goodbyes to Dorothea and Petra as they made their way to the car. 

“Ferdinand, you’re the closest one from here, so it’s okay if I drop you off first, right?” He nodded. The drive was relatively silent except for the music softly playing. Everyone was on the verge of falling asleep except for Edelgard. Her adrenaline was through the roof, the events of the night flashed through her mind. She pulled up to Ferdinand’s house.

“I’ll walk you to the door,” Hubert said as he unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car. 

“What a gentleman,” Ferdinand said as he got out of the car as well. “Thank you so much for the ride, El! Talk to you soon,” he said as he closed the car door. Edelgard and Byleth watched the two at Ferdinand’s front door. Giving each other a kiss and a hug before they parted ways. 

“Aw,” Byleth cooed as Hubert got back into the car. He rolled his eyes.

“Don’t tell me you’re another Dorothea.” Byleth giggled. Edelgard smiled at hearing Byleth’s laugh. They reached her house soon enough. 

“Thanks for inviting me. I had a lot of fun. Have a good night, guys!” Byleth said, practically jumping out of the car, waving to the two as she walked to the front door. 

Edelgard began to wave. “Bye, Love you-” She realized what she said, mentally cursing herself for being so careless. She doubted Byleth even heard her, given she was already out of the car. 

“Oh? I didn’t know you two were dating,” Hubert smirked. 

“We’re not,” Edelgard huffed.  _ Yet, _ she thought to herself. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I hope you liked this chapter! This was one of my favorite chapters to write so far! I hope you all like it as much as I do!
> 
> also, I cannot fathom the idea that you guys actually like this story (｡•́︿•̀｡)
> 
> Have a great day/night! <3 - Dooni/Dani 
> 
> (⌒ω⌒)ﾉ


	16. Chapter 16

Edelgard walked the tiled floors of her local mall with Hubert and Dorothea. Studying the products in each window, she was trying to find the perfect gift for everyone on her list. Her two friends accompanied her to do some shopping of their own. Hubert, who was clueless at gift giving, needed extra help. 

“Okay, so what are you going to do about Byleth?” Dorothea asked, wondering what Edelgard’s next move was aloud.

“What?” Edelgard responded in an attempt to play dumb. 

“Don’t act stupid!” Dorothea retorted, hitting the girl lightly on the head. “You  _ will _ be dating her before the end of this school year, and I will make sure of it.” Edelgard rolled her eyes.

“Okay, whatever, can you just help me find a gift for Byleth?” She pleaded as they continued to walk through the mall. She pulled the list of gifts she had to get for everyone. She would get Hubert’s and Dorothea’s another time since they were with her. 

“What are you getting for Ferdinand?” Edelgard asked Hubert. She knew he didn’t have the other boy for secret Santa, but he had expressed wanting to get something for him.

“I think I am going to get him some loose tea leaves, but if I see something else I may change my mind,” Hubert responded. Edelgard sighed, still stuck trying to figure out what to get for Byleth. 

“Oh!” Dorothea exclaimed “Maybe you could ask her out at the party! That would be so cute! We could-” 

“Dorothea, I really, really appreciate your help, but I think this is something that I am just going to let happen with time,” Edelgard cut her off. She felt bad for always turning down her friend’s ideas. Dorothea pouted, but she nodded her head in understanding. “Okay, well, I’ve gotten through my list except for Byleth. Soit’s time for operation find Byleth a gift,” Edelgard said, putting on a face of determination. 

Dorothea and Hubert groaned as they walked out of another store. Edelgard was being exceptionally picky when it came to picking a gift for Byleth. Dorothea began to regret her secret Santa arrangements. 

“Edie, I will cry if we need to go into another store,” Dorothea whined. She loved hanging out with her friends, but they had been at the mall for over four hours now. She wanted to go home

“It needs to be perfect,” was the only thing Edelgard said. They walked past a toy store. Edelgard saw from the corner of her eye the perfect gift. She walked right into the toy store. Dorothea and Hubert shrugged and followed her in. 

“What did you see?” Hubert asked, feeling extremely out of place. Parents and children alike stared at the three. Edelgard said nothing as she walked to the wall of stuffed animals. She reached up and grabbed a plush shark from the shelf. Looking at it, she nodded to herself and smiled. 

“This is perfect,” Edelgard grinned. Dorothea and Hubert looked at her, dumbfounded. “She’s planning on majoring in marine bio next year,” Edelgard said.

“That is so cute!” Dorothea said. “Seriously, Edie, you would make the best girlfriend for her!” Dorothea placed her hands on her hips in frustration with her. Edelgard rolled her eyes once again as she walked towards the checkout counter, pleased that she had finally found a gift she was satisfied with for Byleth. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heheheh sorry about the late upload!
> 
> Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Sorry about it being so short!   
> also...  
> shoutout to co-author Zerimagi who just got her driver's license!!! :D
> 
> Have a great day/night, everyone! <3- Dooni/Dani


	17. Chapter 17

Edelgard was sprawled out across her bedroom floor and was surrounded by wrapping paper scraps. She struggled to wrap all the gifts she had bought for her friends and family, but she was too embarrassed to ask for help. Either she cut the wrapping paper too short, or she did not know how to wrap the object. She was currently staring at a mug that she had gotten for her mom, wondering what she should do with it. All she had were obscenely large gift bags and wrapping paper. She placed it aside, figuring she would deal with it later when she could get a smaller bag. A knocking came from outside her door. 

“Edelgard?” Lambert’s voice called out. She stood up and stretched. Her legs felt wobbly as she walked over to her door. 

“Hi Dad,” She said as she opened the door. “What’s up?” 

“We’re going to start decorating the tree soon if you want to help,” Lambert said. Edelgard nodded her head. 

“I’ll be down in a few,” she said as she made her way back into her room and attempted to clean up her mess. She placed wrapped and unwrapped gifts in her closet and covered them with an old blanket. 

“Great! The whole family’s working together!” Patricia said, clapping her hands together. “Remember, large ornaments on the bottom, small towards the top,” she said as she pointed to a box of ornaments. Edelgard walked over to the box, picked up an ornament, and placed it on the tree. 

“Now, I know you guys are having your Christmas party this weekend. You know the rules. No drinking, no smoking. Don’t get the cops called on you,” Lambert said sternly. “Your mother and I may have a little outing for ourselves that night, but we haven’t decided yet.” 

“We know father. I would not allow it. I promise,” Dimitri said, knowing that Sylvain and Dorothea would be the ones to cause trouble. He would make sure they behave. 

“Is that girl coming?” Patricia cooed 

“Yes, and her name is Byleth. Didn’t I tell you that?” Edelgard replied.

“I guess I forgot,” Patrica shrugged, “You should bring her around more often. I would love to meet her,” She laughed, watching Edelgard’s face begin to blush. 

“Maybe sometime,” Edelgard trailed off, placing another ornament on the tree. She walked over to the box, taking out an ornament that had a baby photo of Dimitri from his first Christmas. Edelgard laughed at it, seeing it was a photo taken with Santa. He was crying. 

“Look how small you were!” Patricia cooed, showing it to Lambert and Dimitri. Dimitri cringed in embarrassment. He hated that ornament. It was the bane of his existence. At the party, it was always a game to find his baby ornament and proceed to make fun of him. 

“El, please hang it up somewhere they won’t be able to see it,” Dimitri asked. Edelgard nodded and she tried to hang the ornament inside the foliage on the back of the tree. Dimitri took his turn to rummage through the ornament box. He pulled out Edelgard’s baby ornament. He laughed at the photo. She was also with Santa in her photo, but she wasn’t crying; she just looked scared, staring at Santa with wide eyes. 

“At least I was a photogenic baby,” Edelgard laughed as Dimitri scowled at her. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!! Again, sorry that it is so short! 
> 
> also, if anyone has any ideas for chapter titles, let me know! 
> 
> Have a great day/night! <3 - Dooni/Dani


	18. Chapter 18

It was approximately three hours until school was over, which would signal the start of the winter break. Edelgard was ready to get out of the school and start the break. She sighed as she sat down at the lunch table. Her brain was absolutely fried. She had just taken a math unit test, and she had stayed up till about three in the morning working on an essay for her history class. She put her lunch bag on the table and opened it. 

“Hey!” Byleth said as she walked over to the table, taking a seat next to Edelgard.

“Hi,” Edelgard yawned

“Are you okay? You look so tired!” Byleth said with concern. Edelgard nodded, waving to Dorothea as she walked over and took a seat, followed by Hubert and Ferdinand. 

“Edie forgot about an essay she had for history,” Dorothea laughed. “Poor thing stayed up all night working on it. She kept texting me about it.” 

“El! Your health is more important than some stupid paper!” Byleth scolded. Edelgard felt guilty for making Byleth worry, but she was also too tired to really care.

“It’s okay, it was just a one-time thing. Won’t happen again, I promise,” she laughed. “Why don’t we talk about the party?” She asked, trying to switch the subject. “Dimitri wants everyone to be there by six at the latest.” Everyone at the table nodded in understanding. 

“Did everyone get their gifts for their secret Santa?” Dorothea asked eagerly. Everyone nodded again. “Good! Be right back!” Dorothea said as she jumped up from her seat. She walked over to Dimitri’s lunch table where Claude, Sylvain, Felix, and Ingrid sat. 

“Hey, Byleth,” Edelgard said, turning to face the girl. Byleth looked up from her food. “Would you like to come over a little earlier tomorrow? I might need a little help setting up.” Edelgard shrugged off her embarrassment. 

“Sure! Just text me what time,” Byleth replied, nodding her head. Edelgard did a mental fist pump. She was excited. 

_ Maybe tomorrow will be my chance _ , she thought. 

* * *

Edelgard was in the kitchen, getting ingredients out for cookies that she had to make. She huffed as she pulled the eggs out of the fridge. Dimitri was in charge of making the cookies, but he ended up burning his batch last night. She heard the doorbell ring. _Shit_ , she thought as she ran through the living room to get the front door. “Byleth! come in,” she said, feeling the cold breeze from outside.

“Thanks,” Byleth said, her teeth chattering. Edelgard took her coat from her and hung it up on one of the hooks by the door. “Where should I put this?” She asked, holding up a gift bag. 

“Oh! Come with me. We can put it under the tree,” Edelgard said as she led Byleth to the living room. Byleth placed the present under the tree next to three other presents. “So, I actually was not anticipating that I would need help with anything,” Edelgard said, her face turning red.  _ I just wanted to spend a little time with you before the party _ , she thought, feeling as if she was being choked again. She walked into the kitchen, Byleth following her. “I have to make some cookies real quick though. Dimitri can’t pay attention to time, and he let the last batch burn, but decided to tell me about ten minutes ago.” She rolled her eyes. 

“I can help you!” Byleth said, “I’d feel bad if I just stood here while you did all the work.” 

“Okay, but only if you actually want to help. I don’t want you to feel forced to help me,” Edelgard laughed nervously as she began to wash her hands. She stepped aside to make room for Byleth to wash her hands. 

“So, where’s Dimitri?” Byleth asked as Edelgard measured out some flour. 

“He is probably in his room with Claude,” Edelgard said as she poured the flour into the mixing bowl. She looked at Byleth, making sure that she was okay with measuring the oil and water. She noticed that Byleth had pulled her hair back into a ponytail. Edelgard could feel her heart stop, noticing how the loose strands shaped Byleth face.  _ Oh gods, why is she so pretty? _ . She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. She watched the girl pour the liquids into the bowl. Edelgard said nothing as she handed the girl an egg. They each cracked an egg and turned on the stand mixer to do its job. Once it was finished mixing, they scooped out the batter onto a baking tray. They filled two trays and placed them in the oven. 

“It smells good down here!” Patricia announced as she walked into the kitchen. Edelgard had forgotten her parents were still home.

“You’re still here, mom?” Edelgard asked as she took the cookies out of the oven and placed the trays on the countertops to cool. 

“We’re leaving now. I just came to make sure my kitchen wasn’t burnt down,” Patricia said as she noticed the girl standing next to Edelgard. “Who is this?”

“Oh, this is Byleth. Byleth, this is my mom.” 

“Hello, it’s nice to meet you! Edelgard is such a great friend,” Byleth said. Edelgard blushed at the compliment. 

“I’m glad to hear that! I’ve heard a lot about you,” Patricia winked at Edelgard. “Your father and I are heading out now. Call us if you need anything, El,” Patrica said as she left the kitchen. 

“Bye mom,” Edelgard called out. She heard Dimitri and Claude say their goodbyes as well. 

“Oh, cookies!” Claude exclaimed as he waltzed into the kitchen with Dimitri behind.

“Not until the party. Plus you’ll burn your hand if you touch them now,” Edelgard said, trying to shield the cookies. “What were you two doing?” 

“I needed help with some gift wrapping, so Claude was helping me,” Dimitri said, trailing off. Edelgard didn’t believe him, but she decided not to pry further. She began to place the cookies on a plate and carried them into the living room, setting them on a table they had designated for snacks. The doorbell rang. Dimitri went to open the door. It was Sylvain and Felix. 

“Hey!” Sylvain said, his arm wrapped around Felix’s shoulder. Ingrid was also standing with them.

“Hi, come in, guys,” Dimitri said, stepping aside to let them into the house. The three came in and placed their gifts in the pile under the tree. They were wearing matching sweaters. 

“You two are festive today,” Edelgard laughed. 

“Don’t talk about it,” Felix grumbled. 

* * *

Everyone had arrived, and they all were sitting in the living room, catching up and talking. 

“Dimitri. You do know you almost look like the male version of Ingrid, yes?” Sylvain asked. Dimitri nodded his head. “And you know how she is dating Glenn?” He nodded his head again. “Glenn is Felix’s brother, and if Glenn and Ingrid get married, and I marry Felix, Ingrid will become my sister-in-law!” 

“What are you trying to explain here, Sylvain?” Ingrid asked, confused why Felix was groaning and placing his head in his hands. “What does this have to do with Dimitri?” 

“Well, what I’m saying is that he should marry my estranged brother!” Sylvain laughed. Dimitri, who was taking a sip of a drink, began to sputter and cough.“Then we could all be in-laws!”

“Sylvain shut the hell up,” Felix said as he rubbed his temples

“I’ll have you know, Sylvain, I am quite happy with Claude,” Dimitri said as he squeezed Claude’s hand a little tighter. 

“Okay! Why don’t we get started with the secret Santa!” Dorothea called out, standing up and walking over to the three. 

“Yes!” Sylvain cheered, “I say whoever finds Dimitri’s baby photo first on the tree gets to go first.” Dimitri groaned as everyone began to look around the tree. 

“Found it!” Ingrid called out, pointing up towards the top of the tree. “Thought you could hide it from us?” She laughed. Everyone grabbed the gift that they had brought and sat down in a circle on the floor. 

“Okay!” Dorothea said, pulling her phone out to look at the list of who had who. “Ingrid, you had Claude right?” Ingrid nodded as she handed her gift over to Claude. It was a small box. He unwrapped the box and moved the tissue paper that was wrapped around the gift. 

“Neat!” Claude said as he lifted the object out of the box. It was a western-style toy gun. He held the gun towards Dimitri. “Give me all your money.” He pulled the little trigger and felt a pulse of electricity shoot through his finger. He jumped and dropped the little gun. He laughed. “Nice one Ingrid.” Ingrid smiled. “Alright, my turn to give my gift!” He picked up a small bag and swung it. “El, catch,” Claude said as he threw the bag to Edelgard. 

“Claude! You’re lucky I didn’t miss it. What if it broke?” Edelgard said.

“It wouldn’t break. Don’t worry,” Claude dismissed. Edelgard pulled the tissue paper out of the bag. She pulled out some cat toys, a ball, and a few toy fishes.

“Aw, Anselma will love these!” Edelgard said cheerfully. On cue, Anselma came down the stairs and ran past the group. Dorothea got up and ran after the cat, picked her up and carried her over to the group. Edelgard took one of the toys and tossed it in front of Anselma. The cat sniffed the little toy fish, then she began to bat it around and chased after it. Edelgard tried to take it from her to throw it in a different direction, but she began to hiss. “She really likes the toy,” Edelgard chuckled. She realized now it was her time to give her gift. She reached behind her to grab the gift bag. “Okay, this is for Byleth,” she said as she handed the bag to Byleth. 

“Sweet!” Byleth said as she took the bag from Edelgard. She pushed aside the tissue paper inside and pulled out the gift. “Oh, my gods! This is so cute!” She hugged the shark stuffed animal. A wide smile was on her face. “Thank you so much!” Edelgard’s heart swelled. She was so glad that Byleth liked her gift. 

“I’m glad you like it,” Edelgard said nervously.

“I love it.” Byleth smiled.

The rest of the gifts were handed out. Byleth got portable chess set for Hubert. Hubert had been assigned to Sylvain, and he bought him the Ass Pack for Cards Against Humanity. Sylvain had gotten Dimitri. He had Felix help him make a calendar. Every month had a picture of Dimitri with a boar’s head photoshopped onto his own. Dimitri had gotten Felix. He bought him a bottle of hot sauce. Felix had Dorothea. He knew nothing about girls, but he tried his best by getting her a pack of hair ties and hair clips. Dorothea had gotten Ingrid a gift card to the local Olive Garden. It had Sonic the Hedgehog on it. All of the gifts were handed out and they were all talking amongst themselves. Dorothea was running around trying to get photos with everyone. Edelgard was sitting on the couch, eating one of the cookies she made. Byleth had walked over to where she sat. 

Edelgard patted the open spot next to her. Byleth sat down next to her. She took one of the cookies she had on her plate and handed it to Byleth. 

“Thanks,” Byleth said as she ate the cookie. “El, this is a weird question, but do you want to go on a walk? I feel like I just need to go outside for a few.”

“That actually sounds nice,” Edelgard said as she stood up, brushing the crumbs off of her legs. Everyone else was distracted by Cards Against Humanity with Sylvain’s new pack included. She figured they could sneak out. They put their coats on and made their way outside. 

The freezing air nipped at Edelgard’s face. She regretted opting for her lighter jacket. They began to walk down the sidewalk, looking at all of the Christmas lights decorating the houses that lined her street. The soft tawny glow of the lights illuminated the sidewalk. “I hope you’re having fun,” Edelgard said. 

“I am. Thank you for inviting me,” Byleth said. Edelgard could hear her voice quiver. She looked at Byleth, the girl was looking down at the sidewalk, and a small sniffling came from her direction. 

Edelgard stopped walking, causing the other girl to stop as well. She placed a hand under Byleth’s chin, lifting it up so she could see her face. The two stared at each other. Byleth wrapped her arms around Edelgard. She hugged her back, feeling her cheeks grow hot and her heart begin to speed up. 

“I’m not sad, don’t worry,” Byleth whispered as she placed her head on Edelgard’s chest. “I’m really happy, my body doesn’t know how to react, I guess,” she laughed. She lifted her head up and looked into Edelgard’s eyes. “Thank you. For everything,” Byleth said. 

_ Do it now. You can do it now. Now is your chance!  _ Edelgard screamed to herself mentally. 

“You don’t have to thank me. I’m just so glad I have you as my friend,” Edelgard said, smiling at Byleth. They both stood there in silence, holding each other in the hug until they came to the nonverbal agreement to start heading back to the house. 

_ You are an idiot! You had the perfect opportunity! _ Edelgard mentally berated herself as they walked through the front door. When they got inside Dorothea ran over to them. 

“I’m gonna steal Edie for a bit!” Dorothea said as she pulled Edelgard into the kitchen. Dorothea was smiling and winking at her. 

“What?” Edelgard asked. 

“What do you mean what? You two are a thing now, right? Don’t think I didn’t notice you two leaving,” Dorothea rolled her eyes. 

“No,” Edelgard said, her voice lowered. Dorothea stood there with her mouth agape. 

“What? Edie, what the hell are you doing?” Dorothea whisper-yelled. 

“I don’t know! I froze up. It’s like my brain just checked out,” Edelgard sighed. 

“Here’s what you should do,” Dorothea began to whisper a plan to Edelgard. She nodded, her face growing hot and red, but she promised herself that she would do it. 

“So Hubert, where is Ferdinand?” Sylvain asked, “I was hoping to have a battle of the redheads,” he said, slumping over in disappointment.

“He’s on a plane on the way to his grandparent’s beach house right now,” Hubert said, jealous that his boyfriend was getting to escape the miserable winter weather, even if just for a few days. 

“I feel that,” Dorothea said as she walked back into the living room. “Petra went back to Brigid for the holiday,” Dorothea pouted. 

* * *

It was about eleven o’clock at night when everyone began to trickle out of the house. Hubert was the first one to leave, stating that he would begin the awkward process of saying goodbye. Then, Sylvain, Felix, and Ingrid left. Dorothea had promised to hang back to help Edelgard with the plan. 

Edelgard was standing in the entrance hall, watching Byleth put her coat on. Dorothea tiptoed behind Edelgard, placing something in the girl’s hand. 

“El, thank you so much for everything tonight. Especially this little guy!” Byleth laughed as she held out the shark plushie. 

“You’re welcome,” Byleth began to turn to head out. “By, wait.” The girl turned around and tilted her head. “Um, what’s this above us?” Edelgard stuttered out, as she raised her left hand over them, a mistletoe dangling from her hand. 

“You’re adorable El,” Byleth chuckled as she placed a soft kiss on her cheek. Edelgard’s brain exploded with her heart. She could have died happily right there. Byleth turned to the door and began to walk out. “See you! I’ll text you,” she waved, walking to her car. 

Edelgard had no words; She wore a grin, her cheeks rosy. She turned around to face Dorothea, who was smiling even bigger than Edelgard, Claude who sported a thumbs up, and Dimitri, who looked to be on the verge of passing out. 

Dorothea ran up to the girl, “It wasn’t the exact plan, but it went okay!” she exclaimed, jumping up and down. “You were supposed to kiss her, but oh well!” Dorothea was giddy. 

“Who knew you had it in you?” Claude laughed, “Right, Dimitri?” He said as he wrapped an arm around the boy. 

“Uh, did she just kiss you?” Dimitri stuttered out, still in shock at what he had witnessed. 

“Come on, Dimitri. Don’t act as you’ve never done anything like that,” Claude joked, placing a kiss on the boy’s temple.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Super sorry about the late upload of this chapter, I was just being lazy lololol.


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> woahhh a chapter that is actually uploaded on time?! 
> 
> All jokes aside, thank you all for reading! I hope you are enjoying this story! When we said slow burn, we meant slow burn.   
> Soooo I hope it isn't too slow for you all
> 
> I hope you all have a great day/night! <3 - Dooni/Dani

Edelgard sat on the couch in the living room watching the New Year's celebration on her TV. She sighed, thinking about the return to school. School would be over in about six months, and then she would be going off to college. Her heart panged with disappointment because she still had not asked Byleth out. She really liked the girl but feared a relationship with her could ruin the great friendship they already had. She knew this was what was holding her back from acting on her true feelings. 

“Whatcha thinking about?” Claude asked as he looked over to Edelgard. Usually, it was a tradition for her family to just spend New Year’s Eve together, but this year was different. First, their parents had gone to a party, so they weren’t home. Second, Claude was here, but he was practically family, so that wasn’t too weird. Edelgard figured that she could ask her brother and his boyfriend a question about relationships, given they have had significantly more experience than her. 

“What are you two doing about college? Are you going to take a break or something? I know you two don’t plan to go to the same college,” Edelgard asked. Dimitri and Claude were taken off guard by this question. 

Claude laughed, “I guess we kind of forgot about that, I don’t think we’ll take a break. We’ll make it work.” 

Dimitri nodded, “I don’t want to take a break either. It will be a challenge at first, but we’ll make sure to both try our hardest. Plus we have technology so we can talk basically whenever we’d like.” Edelgard listened to their conversation. She felt an ache of jealousy; she wanted what they had, but she knew she would probably mess it up. 

“So are you dating Byleth?” Claude asked, snapping Edelgard out of her thoughts.

“Oh, um, no,” Edelgard said, “But I’d like to,” she thought she whispered under her breath. Unfortunately, it was loud enough for Claude to hear. 

“So why aren’t you?” Claude said slyly, Edelgard was reminded of Dorothea and cringed at the thought that Claude was just the male version of her. 

“Well, college, I guess. I don’t want to date her and then just break up for college,” Edelgard said, feeling an ache in her heart at the idea of ever losing Byleth. “I don’t even know if she likes girls.” Dimitri and Claude both corked their eyebrows.

“I’m about one-hundred-and-ten percent sure that she likes you,” Claude shrugged. “You guys would make it work when it came to college, but if it didn’t work out, at least you got to spend that time with her. Some time with her is better than no time,” Claude explained. Edelgard nodded, turning her attention to the TV again. It was nearly midnight. They all watched the television in silence, except for the occasional comment about the musical performances. The countdown to the New Year began. She felt tense as the crowd counted down from ten. She recited her resolutions in her mind, promising herself that it would happen. She was tired of allowing her anxieties to hold her back. 

“Happy New Year!” Claude and Dimitri cheered as they kissed each other on the lips. 

“Yeah. Happy New Year, guys,” Edelgard laughed, feeling excited for whatever life had in store for her this year. She was going to do it. 

_ I will ask out Byleth.  _


	20. Chapter 20

Before anyone knew it, the winter break was over, and it was time for school once again. Edelgard was eager to get back to school; not for the work, but because she would be able to see Byleth again. 

“You are way too excited to be going back to school,” Hubert grumbled as they walked the halls to their first class. 

“I guess I’m just excited? I mean we’re almost done,” Edelgard defended. 

“Not soon enough,” Hubert sighed. 

* * *

“Good morning class. I hope you are all ready to work as hard as you were before the break,” Professor Essar announced to the class. “We will start our new year off on my favorite unit, Crests! Now Crests were extremely important to our ancestors, and while some of you may have inherited a Crest from your family lines, they don’t serve much of a purpose to us nowadays, but it is still important to study why they were so critical to people back in the day. We will be studying the basics in class and I will be assigning you all a Crest to do a project on with a partner.” The class groaned but Edelgard felt indifferent. Hanneman began to explain the details of the assignment. “First I need you all to pick a partner, then I will assign you all to a Crest to study. You will make a poster on your crest, explaining the background of it, who once possessed it, and what it did to people. This will be due next week. You may all pick your partners now.” Edelgard smiled, turning to look at Byleth who was looking at her. They nodded, silently agreeing to be partners. 

“Alright, is everyone paired up?” Professor Essar asked and students nodded their heads. He began to walk around to the desk pairs, finally making it to Byleth and Edelgard. “Ms. Esiner and Ms. Hresvelg, an excellent pair. I have high expectations for your project. You two will be assigned to study the Crest of Flames. If you have trouble with your research, do let me know,” he said as he handed them both a paper with directions and a grading rubric for them to reference. 

“Okay, this shouldn’t be too bad,” Edelgard laughed. “We can split the research up, and then work on the poster sometime over the weekend.” 

“That works for me. I can pick up the poster board and any other materials that we may need,” Byleth nodded. Edelgard smiled, high fiving herself mentally. 

* * *

“Why was the break so short?” Dorothea whined, placing her head on the table. She seemed to be the only one who was still in denial that they were back in school. 

“I’m sad to be back already, but I was also getting bored over the break,” Byleth laughed, taking a sip from her water bottle. The rest of the table nodded in agreement. Dorothea lifted her head up from the table, looking like she had something to say. 

“Did you guys hear of the huge snowstorm coming on Friday night? Apparently there's supposed to be so much snow that we might not have school next Monday!” She said excitedly. 

“How many times is the weather person actually correct, though? I wouldn’t get your hopes up,” Ferdinand said. Dorothea stuck her tongue out at him

“Ew, You’re turning into Hubert. Have some hope!” Dorothea exclaimed. Hubert scowled. Edelgard began to worry about her project with Byleth. She turned to Byleth 

“Well, should we continue with our plan for this weekend?” Edelgard asked.

“It’s probably gonna be nothing. I’m fine with coming over if you are okay with it!” Byleth said, and Edelgard nodded her head. 

_ The weather predictions change by the hour. There’s nothing to worry about _ . 

* * *

Throughout the week, Edelgard and Byleth worked diligently on their research, Edelgard though, could not help but constantly check the weather predictions. They varied from a light dusting to a full-on blizzard. She tried to not let herself worry over some fickle weather predictions. Byleth constantly told her that she would still be coming over as long as Edelgard was okay with it. They wanted to try to do the poster on Friday after school, so they could have their weekend free. Edelgard wanted to change the day, just in case of the snow, but she did not want to bother Byleth. Before she knew it, Friday morning had arrived. She looked out the window, looking for any signs of incoming snow. It was still dark outside, so she couldn’t really tell. She then pulled out her phone, looking at the reports. 

_ It will be fine. It snows all the time. This is just going to be an average snowfall. All we need to do is to put everything together on the poster board. It will be quick. If it does snow, I can always drive her home if her dad can’t or something.  _ Edelgard tried to calm herself as she got ready for the day. Organizing her room a little, she wanted to make sure it was clean for when Byleth came over. Even though they were going to be working, Edelgard was excited. All she hoped was that everything would go smoothly. 

“Hey, El!” Byleth said as she sat down next to Edelgard in class. “I have the poster board in my dad’s office. I didn’t feel like carrying it around all day,” Byleth laughed. 

“That’s fine. Do you want to meet up at your dad’s office and then walk to my place?” Edelgard asked, Byleth nodding in agreement. 

As Edelgard walked through the building to her next class, she was able to see outside. She saw the sun was shining brightly. She laughed at herself, embarrassed for being so worked up throughout the week because of some rumor of snow. 

* * *

The school day finally ended. Edelgard made her way throughout the school to Coach Eisner’s office, Hubert tagging along with her. They talked, keeping their voices hushed. 

“Are you guys  _ really  _ going to be working on a project?” Hubert whispered. Edelgard elbowed him.

“Of course we are. I’m not like you and make cover-up stories for when I hang out with someone,” Edelgard laughed. Her comment seemed to get Hubert to stop his joking. As they turned down the hallway, they saw Byleth and her father saying goodbye to each other. 

“Hi El, Hubert,” Byleth said. Edelgard waved in response. “Ready to go?” She asked Edelgard nodded as they all turned to make their way out of the school. 

Edelgard looked up as they walked out of the school. The sun had disappeared; dark clouds were covering the sky. There was a freezing breeze blowing through the air.  _ No, nothing to worry about. Nothing at all,  _ Edelgard thought, trying to calm herself. 

The group walked along the sidewalk to Edelgard’s house, talking about the highlights of their week and gossip or drama that they had heard. They reached Edelgard’s house. Edelgard and Byleth said their goodbyes to Hubert as they made their way inside. 

“Alright! Let’s get this started,” Edelgard said as the two of them walked into her bedroom, placing their bags onto the floor. Byleth laid the poster board out. Edelgard had opened her laptop, pulling up their document of research. “Would you like to do the drawing of the Crest, or should I?” Edelgard asked. 

“I’ll do it!” Byleth said, pulling out some markers from her pencil pouch.

They split up the poster board. Edelgard wrote information on one side of the board, and Byleth had the other half. She was also going to draw the Crest in the middle. They were spread out on the floor. Edelgard occasionally looked up to her window. It had begun snowing. The snow was light, so she pulled her attention away from it, figuring she needed to focus on getting the poster done. Edelgard was a perfectionist. Despite wanting to get this done quickly, she wrote each letter delicately, making sure to space her words perfectly. By the time she was halfway done writing her information, Byleth was already done with hers and was getting ready to draw the Crest. Edelgard looked at her, her mouth opened in shock.

Byleth laughed nervously, “Sorry, I’m a fast writer. I hope it’s not too sloppy.” Edelgard shook her head. Her handwriting looked clean, all the words were straight, and everything was spaced properly. 

“It looks good!” Edelgard grinned. She looked outside the window again. It was snowing harder than before. 

“Well, so much for the weather people being wrong. I guess it is snowing,” Byleth said, uncapping her purple marker.

“Yeah, let’s just hope it doesn’t snow thirteen feet like they said it would,” Edelgard said, praying silently in her head.

Edelgard continued to write as Byleth continued to draw the Crest, looking at her phone every now and then for reference. The only sounds were the squeaking of the markers being used by the two. It was growing darker outside, and Edelgard could still see the snow falling because of the light of the street lamps. She read over the information she had written, making sure she had written all of the information down. Byleth was almost done with the drawing, adding additional details. Both of their phones began to ring with an alert. 

**WEATHER ADVISORY: SHELTER IN PLACE DUE TO HEAVY SNOWFALL; ALL ROADS CLOSED EXCEPT FOR ESSENTIAL WORKERS.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!!! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Sorry, I left it off on a cliffhanger lol. 
> 
> Hope you all have a great day/night!!


	21. Chapter 21

It was extremely hard sometimes to tell if Edelgard was worried. This time though, Byleth thought the girl was about to cry. They both sat in silence, reading the alert over and over again. Byleth eventually heard sniffling and looked over to Edelgard. Tears were beginning to form in her eyes. Byleth scooted over to the girl, pulling her into a side hug, trying to comfort her without making her uncomfortable. 

“I’m sorry,” Edelgard sniffled as she wiped her eyes. “It’s my fault you’re stuck here now. I should have worked faster,” she began to ramble on, continuing to blame herself. Byleth placed her hands on Edelgard’s shoulders, forcing the girl to look at her. 

“El, stop,” She said sternly. “This is not your fault. No one can control the weather, so please don’t blame yourself.” Edelgard nodded slowly, sniffling quietly. She felt her phone buzz, and she looked at her phone. Her mom was calling, she picked up her phone 

“Hello?” 

“Hi, sweetie. I hate to tell you this, but I won’t be able to make it home tonight. The highway is closed. Your father and I met up at a hotel, and we’re going to have to stay here until the roads open back up,” she laughed. “There should be some leftovers in the fridge,” she trailed on, “Oh! Is Byleth still there? I know you were telling me she was going to be coming over to work on a project.” 

“Yeah, she’s still here,” Edelgard said.

“Okay, good. I’d hate for her to be walking or driving in this. I assume she is staying the night?” 

“I guess so,” Edelgard responded.

“Alright. We’ll try our best to be home tomorrow. I love you, sweetie,” Patricia said as she blew a kiss into the phone.

“Love you too, mom,” Edelgard said, hearing the call end. She turned to Byleth, “I hope you’re okay with staying the night,” Edelgard laughed nervously. 

“I don’t think I have much of a choice,” Byleth chuckled. The two sat in silence until Claude came bursting into Edelgard’s room.

“Did you guys hear the news?!” Claude exclaimed, waving his phone around. Dimitri followed behind him. “This is so cool! Like when will this ever happen again?” Claude rambled on. “Plus Dimitri and I will get some much-needed quality time. Isn’t that right?” Claude asked as he wrapped an arm around Dimitri, placing a kiss on his neck. Dimitri tensed up, his face turning bright red. He pulled out of Claude’s grasp, grabbing his hand and began to pull him out of the room. 

“Well, if you need anything let me know. We will be in my room,” Dimitri said quickly, walking down the hallway and to his room. They heard his door slam. The two girls looked at each other, shooting each other awkward smiles.

“I’m so sorry about that,” Edelgard trailed off. Her face turned red, embarrassed by the scene that had just unfolded. Byleth laughed. 

“It’s okay! You don’t have to apologize,” she said. Her stomach began to growl, the sound made Edelgard jump. 

“Let’s get something to eat,” Edelgard said as she stood up from the floor. They looked at the poster one more time, “I think it’s safe to say that it’s as good as done.” Byleth nodded in agreement. 

They walked down the stairs and into the kitchen. “What would you like to eat?” Edelgard asked as she began to rummage in the pantry

“Oh, um, anything you’d want. I’m not that picky,” Byleth laughed. Edelgard figured she should make something simple, given she was not much of a cook, and there was not a lot of food to begin with. She found a box of macaroni and cheese. She took it from the shelf and showed it to Byleth. 

“How about this?” She asked. Byleth shot a thumbs up. She grabbed a pot from a cabinet and began to fill it up with water. “Has your dad texted you or anything?” she asked Byleth.

“He did. He told me to stay where I am,” she said. “He’s out of town this weekend with the wrestling team, so it's not like he could come get me.”

“Well, I can try and take you home tomorrow depending on the road conditions,” Edelgard said, hoping she didn’t come off as trying to get rid of Byleth. She poured the noodles into the boiling water, her head racing with thoughts. She tensed up, feeling a hand on her shoulder. 

“I’m sorry! Did I scare you?” Byleth laughed. “It got lonely sitting at the counter by myself.” 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to neglect you,” Edelgard teased. The two stood next to each other in silence. The noodles were cooked. She strained them, mixed in the cheese, and dished it out into two bowls. “Here you go,” she said as she handed Byleth one. 

“Thanks,” Byleth said. They sat at the kitchen counter side by side. They began to eat, Edelgard began to freak herself out once again.

_ What if she’s lactose intolerant? What if I made it wrong? Oh, gods, she’s going to hate me.  _ She stared at her bowl, Byleth noticed that she had stopped eating.

“You okay?” Byleth asked, lowering her head to look at her face. Edelgard was snapped out of her trail of thoughts

“Yeah, sorry. Just thinking,” Edelgard laughed. “I hope the food’s okay.”

“It’s great! Thank you so much,” Byleth smiled. The two finished up their meal and cleaned the dishes. As Edelgard led Byleth back to her bedroom, the fact that she would be staying the night was setting in. 

_ Do I ask her if she wants to stay in the guest room? No, that makes it sound like I don't want her in my room. I’m going to have to find her some clothes to wear, oh gods.  _

“So, are you okay with sleeping in my room? I just washed my bedsheets so I know they’re clean. I’m not too sure about the guest room sheets, but whatever makes you comfortable!” Edelgard rambled, her face turning red again. 

“I’m fine with sleeping in your room as long as you’re okay with it,” Byleth said with a smile on her face. 

“Okay, cool. Well, I think we should find you some pajamas,” Edelgard said as she walked over to her dresser and opened it up to look for her sleep shirts. Byleth sat in Edelgard’s desk chair, spinning around while Edelgard searched for clothes. “How about these?” she asked as she held up a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt with a sports team logo on it. Byleth gave a thumbs up. “Would you like to take a shower? It’s okay if not though!” Edelgard said. With every word she said, she was worried she may have offended the other girl. 

Byleth nodded, “If you wouldn’t mind.” 

“Not at all! Do you want to now?” Edelgard asked. She led Byleth into the bathroom which was connected to her room. Byleth followed her, watching her as she explained where everything was in her bathroom and how to turn on the shower. “Alright, I’ll leave you to it! Yell if you need anything,” Edelgard waved as she closed the bathroom door to ensure Byleth had some privacy. 

She let out her breath as she closed the door, walking over to her bed and flopping onto it. Her heart was beating so fast she thought it was going to explode. The sound of water rushing came from the bathroom. She did not know if she could make it through the night. Her heart urged her to tell Byleth exactly how she felt about her, but her brain knew that was a bad idea. She pulled out her phone and texted Dorothea

**Byleth has to stay the night because of the snow. I want to tell her how I feel.**

**Oh, my gods! You better do it! Just be yourself and honest!** Dorothea replied. 

Edelgard nodded her head, trying to compile what she could say, struggling to find a middle ground between too sappy and too serious. The bathroom door creaked open. Edelgard snapped her head up, meeting eyes with Byleth, who was wearing the shirt and pants she had lent her. Her face began to turn red at the sight of the girl. She had been so absorbed in her thoughts that she did not hear the water turn off. 

“Wow, you look great in my clothes,” Edelgard said without thinking. “Oh, my gods. I’m so sorry.” Edelgard stammered as she saw Byleth begin to blush and laugh. “I’m gonna take a shower too if you don’t mind,” Edelgard said as she stood up from her bed, grabbing her clothes and making her way to the bathroom. “I'll be out soon!” she called as she slammed the door behind herself. 

_ Oh gods, oh gods, oh gods, oh gods! She thinks I’m a weirdo! She has to. There is no way she would like me back. You’re so stupid!  _ She mentally berated herself as she undressed and began her shower. 

Byleth sat on the bed in Edelgard’s room, trying to keep her wet hair from dripping everywhere. It felt a bit odd sitting there by herself, but she was worried about Edelgard, who had been acting strangely ever since the afternoon. She hoped she didn’t do anything wrong. She sighed, deciding she should ask the girl when she comes back, determining it would be best to clear the air sooner than later. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Hoped you enjoyed this chapter!!
> 
> heheheh sorry for another cliffhanger!


	22. Chapter 22

**“** Get yourself together,” Edelgard whispered to herself as she stared at her reflection in the mirror. Trying to recollect her thoughts and dry her hair, she knew she probably had spent way too much holed up inside her bathroom. She took a deep breath as she threw her towel into her hamper, and reached for the doorknob. She creaked open the door and she stepped into her room. 

“Hey,” Byleth said as she looked up from her phone. Edelgard waved, saying nothing as she walked over to her bed, sitting next to Byleth, looking at the floor. She thought about what she could say. Now was not the right time to tell Byleth. “Is everything okay? You’ve been acting different since this afternoon,” Byleth noted.

“Oh, um, yeah. I’m okay. I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to worry you. I just have a lot on my mind! ” Edelgard stumbled over her words. Her heartbeat quickened as her eyes met with Byleth’s. Edelgard did not know how to react when she held her hands in her own. 

“El, you can tell me anything. Please let me know what’s bothering you.” Edelgard's heart throbbed at the thought that she was causing Byleth any stress. 

“I promise, I am one-hundred-percent fine. I was just thinking. It was so unimportant I don’t even remember what I was worried about!” she laughed. “Do you wanna watch a movie or something?”

“Okay, if you say so,” Byleth said, sounding unconvinced. “ But a movie does sound nice. You can pick!” Edelgard grinned as she turned on Netflix, scrolling to the horror movies. 

“How about this? Think you can handle it?” Edelgard teased. 

“Of course I can!” Byleth blushed. 

* * *

They were about halfway through the movie. Edelgard was personally not impressed by it; she found the jumpscares to be a tasteless tactic used to make horror movies seem scarier than they actually were. Byleth on the other hand jumped at every single one. The girl of the movie was walking in a hospital, running from a creature, trying to find help. Byleth hand wrapped her arms around Edelgard’s arm and curled into the girl, hiding her face from the screen, unable to handle the tension of the scene. Edelgard blushed, feeling guilty for scaring the girl so badly. Suddenly, as the girl turned the corner, the creature jumped out, causing Byleth to scream. Edelgard scrambled for the remote. 

“We can turn something else on,” Edelgard said as she paused the movie. She was practically holding the other girl. 

“I’m sorry for being such a baby,” Byleth frowned. a blush spread across her cheeks. 

“It’s okay!” Edelgard said as she turned on Youtube, opting for a video of someone baking, figuring it would help relax Byleth. 

Byleth’s eyes began to grow heavy, begging for her to close them. She looked at Edelgard, who looked wide awake. She let out a yawn, rubbing her eyes. 

“Are you getting tired? You can go to sleep if you’d like,” Edelgard said, looking at Byleth. Her heart melted at the sight of the fatigued girl. 

“I’m okay,” Byleth said, opening her eyes wide in an attempt to wake herself up. “Are you not tired?” she asked

“Not really. I tend to have trouble falling asleep sometimes. and I think tonight is one of those nights,” Edelgard shrugged. 

* * *

It was somewhere around one in the morning, and Byleth’s eyes were begging for her to go to sleep. She resisted the urge, wanting to wait until she knew Edelgard was going to as well. 

“By,” Edelgard said, turning to face the girl in the bed. “You should really go to sleep. You look exhausted. Don’t worry about me.” Byleth shook her head. 

Edelgard felt embarrassed that Byleth was forcing herself to stay awake for her sake. She felt even more embarrassed that she could not fall asleep because the pillow that she had a habit of hugging in her sleep was currently being used by Byleth. Without it, she did not feel calm enough to fall asleep. Her mind would not turn off. Byleth was able to assume as much. She shifted her body so she was on her side facing Edelgard, who was lying on her back. Byleth gently wrapped her arms around Edelgard. 

“Is this okay?” She whispered. Edelgard nodded her head and turned off her television. They began to settle, preparing to go to sleep when Edelgard noticed her lights were still on.

“Shit. I forgot the lights,” she said as she wiggled herself out of Byleth’s grasp, running over to the light switch. Darkness enveloped the room. She came back to the bed, and Byleth opened her arms again, allowing Edelgard to get back into her spot. She was thankful it was pitch black, so the other girl could not see the bright red blush that spread all the way to her ears. Edelgard simultaneously felt at peace and as if she were going to suffocate. She cuddled into Byleth, her head at the girl’s chest. She began to listen to the rhythmic thump of her heartbeat. 

“Goodnight El,” Byleth whispered.

“Goodnight.” 

Edelgard laid there in silence listening to Byleth’s heartbeat. Feeling the warm breath of Byleth as she breathed. The girl looked peaceful as she drifted into sleep. Edelgard felt her eyes become heavy as well. She allowed them to close, eventually succumbing to sleep herself. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the late upload! I will be posting another chapter tomorrow as scheduled! 
> 
> also shoutout to me because I finally got another job! yay! 
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! 
> 
> <3- Dooni/Dani


	23. Chapter 23

The sun hid behind the clouds, and the snow had stopped. The light poured into the bedroom, shining onto the two sleeping figures. Edelgard began to stir. She felt like she was enveloped in a warm hug as she slowly opened her eyes. Her eyes opened, and she looked next to her to see Byleth. She gasped, but then remembered what had happened the previous night. As she laid there, she studied the sleeping girl next to her and smiled, noticing how tranquil the girl looked. She attempted to wiggle herself out of the girl’s arms, trying not to wake her. She managed to escape the girl’s grasp and make her way to her bathroom. 

_ That didn’t mean anything. Nothing at all. She was just helping me fall asleep,  _ she repeated in her head as she brushed her teeth. She felt cold, she wanted to feel the warmth of Byleth again, and hear her heartbeat, and be in her arms, where she felt safe. She hit her cheeks, staring at herself in her mirror. 

_ Snap out of it! You are her best friend. It did not mean anything romantic whatsoever.  _

She entered her room, and she saw Byleth lying on her back, eyes open and staring at the ceiling. She rolled onto her side at the sound of Edelgard’s footsteps. 

“Hi,” She said sleepily. Her hair curled perfectly around her face. The light from her window illuminated Byleth’s figure. She looked simply angelic. Edelgard’s heart melted once again. She walked back over to the bed, lying down next to Byleth. 

“Hi sleepyhead,” she whispered. “Sleep well?” Byleth nodded. A knocking could be heard on her bedroom door. 

“El, Claude and I are making pancakes, so come down in a few. They’ll be ready soon,” Dimitri called from the hallway. 

“Okay!” Edelgard yelled back. “What time is it?” Byleth reached for her phone which was at the foot of Edelgard’s bed. 

Her eyes widened as she read the time. “It’s almost noon.”

“Oh gods, I’ve never slept this late,” Edelgard laughed. “I suppose we should get dressed,” Edelgard said as she stood up, opening her closet, grabbing a bra and a hoodie. She stepped into the closet, quickly putting the two of them on, opting to leave her sweatpants on. When she exited the closet, she realized Byleth would need a change of clothes. “By, you can wear one of my hoodies, and if you need any, um, undergarments, help yourself,” Edelgard said, blushing lightly, as she grabbed another hoodie, handing it to Byleth. 

“Thanks! I think I'll be okay with my undergarments, but I’ll take the hoodie,” Byleth said, blushing. She made her way to the bathroom and shut the door. Edelgard groaned, cursing herself for being so awkward. 

Byleth had decided to wear the leggings she had worn the day before and Edelgard’s hoodie. When she put the hoodie on, she immediately noticed that it smelled just like her. She blushed.

The two made their way downstairs to see Claude and Dimitri in the kitchen. Dimitri stood next to Claude as he flipped the pancakes. 

“Yo!” Claude said as he put two pancakes onto plates, handing them to the girls. Dimitri and Claude were staring bullets into Edelgard, both asking the same question nonverbally. Edelgard just shook her head. Dimitri and Claude corked their eyebrows, noticing Byleth was wearing one of Edelgard’s hoodies.

As they ate, they all shared jokes. Claude and Edelgard poked fun at Dimitri. and eventually, the conversation turned to Edelgard interrogating Claude and Dimitri about the prior night. 

“N-Nothing happened!” Dimitri stammered despite the hickeys on his collarbone that were being revealed by his shirt collar.

“Well, what did you do last night El?” Claude winked.

“We just watched a movie and some Youtube, and then we went to bed,” Edelgard said as she looked at Byleth who nodded in agreement. 

“Mom and Dad should be home around one. They don’t want you to drive Byleth home. One of them will take her home,” Dimitri butted in, reading a text from his phone. Edelgard sighed. She was not used to driving in heavy snow like this, so she understood their concern, but she did not want Byleth to be uncomfortable. 

* * *

Within due time, her parent’s arrived home. “Hi, guys!” Patricia said as she walked in with Lambert. Everyone was in the living room playing Mario Party. Edelgard was currently winning with Claude a close second. 

“Hey Mom,” Edelgard said as Patricia came over to the couch and sat next to her, petting Anselma who was resting on the arm of the couch. 

“That was crazy. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced this much snowfall in my whole life! I doubt you will have school Monday. Byleth and Claude, you’re welcome to stay another night, but if not I’ll take you home whenever.” Patricia said. Edelgard prayed in her head that Byleth would want to spend the night again.

“My dad said he is on his way back with the wrestling team. Their tournament got canceled, so he will be home around four-ish, and he said he could pick me up on the way home,” Byleth explained, looking a little sad. Edelgard felt her stomach drop in disappointment. 

“Alright dear,” Patricia said. “Claude, I assume you’re staying again?” 

“Yep!” He said, smirking as he had just beat Edelgard at the minigame. 

* * *

“Thank you so much for everything, El,” Byleth said as they sat in her room. 

“Of course. I wasn’t about to make you walk home in that snow,” Edelgard smiled, trying to hide her sadness that their time together would soon come to an end. “Keep the hoodie,” She added. Byleth nodded. Her phone dinged. 

“Oh, looks like my dad’s here,” Byleth said, her voice faltering as she read the text. They made their way downstairs.

“See you, Byleth!” Patricia called as she saw the two girls walking to the front door. 

“Goodbye! Thank you for allowing me to stay,” She said as she put her shoes and coat on. “I’ll see you around,” Byleth said as she hugged Edelgard, suddenly placing a gentle kiss on the girl’s cheek. She turned around and headed for her dad’s car a little quickly, sliding on the ice. Edelgard stood there, her fingers hovering over the spot where she had placed the kiss. She waved and when she saw them drive off, she made her way inside and up to her room. She flopped onto her bed, and let out a scream into her pillow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!!


	24. Chapter 24

Edelgard scrolled aimlessly through her social media in an attempt to ignore her longing for Byleth’s warmth. Her phone began ringing. It was Dorothea. Edelgard sighed, realizing the hell she was about to give her. 

“So, Edie, how did it go? Did you ask her out?” Dorothea asked. The excitement in her voice was evident.

“Um, no,” Edelgard said as she pulled the phone away from her ear

“WHAT?” Dorothea yelled, “What do you mean you didn’t? You told me you wanted to!” 

“I know, I know. I  _ thought _ I wanted to, but it wasn’t the right time,” Edelgard sighed. “I don’t know what to do. 

“The obvious thing to do would be to tell her,” Dorothea huffed in annoyance. 

“But how? Everytime I think I want to tell her I freeze up.” 

“Y’know, El, I’m starting to think you’re hopeless. I mean even Hubert was able to get a boyfriend,” Dorothea joked.

“You don’t need to rub it in,” Edelgard sighed.

“Maybe you should just start being friends with benefits or something. I don’t know, just to cuddle or something when you feel lonely,” Dorothea listed off ideas. 

“No way. I want to be her girlfriend,” Edelgard cut her off. 

“Well then you better figure something out. You only got a few months till we’re all off to college,” 

“I know,” Edelgard groaned. 

“Alright. Well I think I bothered you enough. I gotta make another call, anyway. I’ll talk to you later,” Dorothea said.

“Okay, bye,” Edelgard said as she hung up the phone. Tossing it aside, she grabbed her “comfort” pillow. It smelled like Byleth. This made her smile, but also made her want to cry, missing the warmth of Byleth. 

* * *

“Why do I always have to do everything?” Dorothea groaned as she dialed another number. 

“Hello?” The voice said as they answered their phone.

“Byleth! Hi sweetie. how are you doing?” Dorothea said sweetly. 

“Um, I’m alright,” Byleth said cautiously. 

“Good! Now, I am curious, what do you think of Edelgard,” Dorothea could hear Byleth suck her breath in. 

“Why do you want to know?” Dorothea rolled her eyes. She could hear Byleth’s smirk through the phone. 

“Well, I just have a few hunches, and I think if you could give me your opinions of Edelgard, I may be able to clear them up, so start talking!” Dorothea said, leaning back into her desk chair. 

“You promise you won’t tell anyone?” Byleth asked

“My lips are sealed, and I’m not just saying that to get you to talk. I promise I will not tell a single soul,” Dorothea replied. 

“Okay. Well El is my best friend. I always feel so happy when I’m around her. She makes me feel like I’m the only person in the world,” Byleth began to ramble.

“Are you sure that’s how best friends make you feel?” Dorothea grinned.

“I wouldn’t really know. I’ve never had a best friend before her,” Byleth said, her confidence faltering. 

“Well, if you could spend your entire life with her, would you?” Dorothea asked casually.

“Definitely,” Byleth responded quickly. 

“Bingo,” Dorothea whispered under her breath. “By, have you noticed Edelgard sometimes acting a bit strange around you?” 

“Yeah. It makes me worry that I did something wrong,” Byleth said. 

“She’s not. It’s actually the opposite,” Dorothea said confidently.

“What do you mean?” Byleth asked. Dorothea’s mouth dropped open at this. 

“What? Do I have to spell it out for you?” Dorothea snapped. After a moment of silence she started to speak again, “She likes you!” Dorothea said exasperatedly. 

“What? Well, I’d hope she would. She’s my best friend!” Byleth laughed

“Oh, my gods! Byleth! She likes you. Romantically! Like, she wants to date you,” Dorothea explained.

“Wait, why?” Byleth said, panicked. “That’s impossible.”

Dorothea wanted to scream in frustration with these two girls. She banged her head against her desk. “Byleth, I think you also have a crush on Edelgard. You mentioned how she makes you feel warm and stuff, right?” She heard Byleth hum in agreement. “Most people feel that way when they have a crush.”There was a pause. “I think you’re right, Dorothea. I mean today, Edelgard gave me her hoodie, and I can’t stop thinking about her now, especially since it smells like her,” Byleth began to ramble once again. 

“Wait, she gave you her hoodie? What else happened last night?” Dorothea asked, corking her eyebrow. 

“We essentially cuddled last night I guess, and then before I left I kissed her on the cheek,” 

“Byleth!” Dorothea whined. “What is wrong with you two? Just ask each other out!” 

“Well, what if she rejects me? I really think she’s just being a great friend.” 

Dorothea took a deep breath. “Byleth, the girl is infatuated with you, so do us all a favor and ask her out. Okay?” 

“Maybe,” Byleth said, hearing a knock at her door. “I have to go. I’ll talk to you later.” Byleth hung up the phone. 

Dorothea groaned. “I hate them,” she said aloud. She pulled up her text messages and sent a message to Hubert.

**Well, turns out the crush is mutual, but they’re both too stupid to get anywhere. I hate them. You deal with them now.** Dorothea typed, allowing her anger to fuel her. Hubert responded unusually quickly. 

**Figured. I’ll deal with Edelgard, you help Byleth, and we can coordinate plans.** She knew he was smirking, and so was she. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HI EVERYONE!
> 
> I am sooooo sorry for taking such a long hiatus from this. but I hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	25. Chapter 25

Just as Patricia had predicted, there was no school come Monday. Edelgard woke up pleased with that knowledge. She rubbed her eyes, grabbed her laptop, and decided to have a study day. Finals were going to be coming up soon, so she figured she could get a headstart on making some outlines and tools to study with. She worked for the majority of the day, but she had fun doing so. She was able to listen to music and watch videos in the background. 

Edelgard finished working for the afternoon. She stood up from her desk chair, stretched, and walked around her room. She heard the sounds of shouting and laughter from outside. Outside her window, Dimitri and Claude had made a snowman family and were currently taking photos with them. She felt a bit envious of them. Not because they were outside while she was inside, but because of the pure bliss in their eyes whenever they looked at each other. She knew her brother was head over heels for Claude. He had been that way ever since he met Claude back in middle school. While he was blackmailed into asking him out, they were both so happy. Edelgard wanted something like that, but she could not believe that Byleth liked her back, especially when it came from Dorothea. She trusted Dorothea, but it seemed too good to be true that Byeth would like her back. She refused to believe her. Her phone began to ring. It was Hubert.

“Hey,” Edelgard said as she picked up the phone, plopping herself onto her bed. 

“I heard that you and Byleth had a little sleepover. You can tell me if there’s something going on between the two of you,” Hubert said. Edelgard rolled her eyes and groaned at Hubert's straightforwardness.

“Not you too! Dorothea was bugging me the other day, and now you? We are not dating, she just stayed over because of the snowstorm,” she huffed. 

“And nothing happened? Nothing at all?” Hubert asked, unconvinced by her assertion. Edelgard wondered if she should tell him. 

“Well, I guess one thing happened,” Edelgard said, her voice faltering. Her heart began to beat quicker thinking about it. 

“And that would be?” 

“I couldn’t fall asleep, and I don’t really know how it happened but all of a sudden we were cuddling, and I can’t stop thinking about it. I miss her so much already,” she rambled. Her body felt cold. “I can’t even confess to her, but I just want her to be mine.”

“El, you should really tell her. This isn’t healthy,” Hubert said.

“No, It’s fine. I’m sure it will go away eventually. I can’t ask her out. The school will be over soon and I don’t expect her to stay with me for the whole four years. It would just be better to ignore it,” Edelgard said. Her heart ached. 

“If you say so,” Hubert said dismissively. “I’ll let you go now, but be sure to text me if you need anything.”

“Okay, see you tomorrow,” Edelgard said, hearing the phone hang up. She focused on the rhythmic ticking of the clock on her wall. Her throat felt as if it was closing; she was struggling to breathe. She took a deep breath that ended up sounding more like a gasp. Tears welled up in her eyes and began to run down her cheeks. Her lip was quivering as she let out a whimper. She felt like a child who was throwing a tantrum because she couldn’t get what she wanted. She wanted Byleth, but she knew she could not have her, figuring it would not be fair for either of them to begin a relationship just to end it as the summer hit. Edelgard’s heart hurt at the thought of going on late night walks, cuddling, and doing other things couples would do. She cried more, knowing they would never happen, at least not with her. The gods were too cruel to make it possible to allow her to have this chance again four years later. 

Hearing Dimitri and Claude laugh from outside, Edelgard mentally cursed the gods. Anselma hopped up onto the bed, meowing as she did so. She nuzzled her head into Edelgard’s hand. causing the girl to laugh as she sniffled out another sob. 

“It will go away. I just have to wait,” Edelgard repeated to herself, trying to slow her breathing as she tried to compose a plan of action of how she was going to get through the rest of the school year without ignoring Byleth. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this chapter!


	26. Chapter 26

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this chapter was written in honor of the fact that I always get sick after my first semester finals :D

Following the week of the snowstorm debacle, Edelgard packed on her work, figuring if she kept herself busy with school work, she would be able to keep her mind clear of Byleth. In addition to this, finals were coming up, and it was important to her to finish the semester strong. She often stayed up late into the night, not going to sleep until about three o’clock in the morning most nights, getting around three hours of sleep a night. She was exhausted, but she did not care. She was not thinking about Byleth, and that was the goal. 

“You look awful,” Dorothea said. Edelgard was staring at her lunch. Her stomach turned at the thought of eating it. She grimaced. 

“I’m fine,” Edelgard rasped out. Her throat felt dry. She reached for her water bottle and took a swig. She tensed up when she felt a hand on her cheek. It was Byleth. 

“You’re awfully warm. Are you sure you’re not sick?” she asked with worry lacing her voice. 

“I said I’m fine,” Edelgard snapped, turning away from Byleth. She immediately felt guilty. Byleth didn’t do anything wrong. She was just concerned for her. She turned back around. “Look, I’m sorry. I guess I’m just not feeling myself,” Edelgard apologized, her voice croaking as she whispered. Byleth nodded her head. 

“Don’t push yourself. Finals are next week, and you don’t want to miss them,” Byleth warned. 

“It’s probably just a little cold. I’ll be fine by tomorrow,” Edelgard dismissed, gathering her belongings as the bell rang to signal the end of lunch. 

* * *

Edelgard woke up the next morning and immediately began to cough. Her throat was on fire; she placed a hand on her throat, and she whimpered at the pain. Her door opened.

“Edelgard? Are you okay? You should’ve left for school ten minutes ago,” Patricia said as she peaked in. Edelgard blinked, reaching for her phone. Her eyes went wide at the sight of the time. She tried to speak, but the pain was too much. She tried to swallow, tears welling in her eyes. Patricia walked into the room again, this time with a thermometer in her hand. Edelgard opened her mouth, allowing her mother to place it under her tongue. It beeped. Patricia removed it from her mouth, nodding her head. “Yep, one-hundred and one. You have a fever. You’re staying home. I’ll bring you some medicine, and you stay right here.” Patricia left the room. Edelgard huffed, laying back onto her bed. 

_I need to get my school work,_ Edelgard thought as she stared at her phone, dropping it onto her bed, feeling too weak to even hold it up. Patricia walked back into the room, a bottle of cold medicine syrup, and a water bottle in her hands. 

“Dimitri will make sure to get all of your work, so you won’t have to worry about that. Now drink this,” Patricia said as she poured the purple liquid into a medicine cup, handing it to Edelgard. She swallowed the entire thing in one gulp. The liquid felt like glass going down her throat. Patricia placed a kiss on Edelgard’s forehead. “I’ll be working from home today, so I’ll check on you in a while sweetie,” she said as she walked out the room, leaving Edelgard to rest. Her eyes felt heavy, she allowed herself to give in to the exhaustion that overwhelmed her body. 

“Where’s your girlfriend today?” Dorothea asked as she took a seat at the lunch table.

“She’s not my girlfriend. Stop saying that,” Byleth said, rolling her eyes. “I guess she’s actually sick. I knew she was pushing herself too hard,” she trailed off. She was worried about her friend. She had texted Edelgard earlier, asking how she was feeling, but never received a response. Byleth tried to keep herself from worrying, but she could not help but allow her mind to drift during her classes, thinking about anything and everything that could be wrong with Edelgard. She looked up from her lunch, seeing Dimitri walking over to their table. 

“Hi guys, Hubert, could you drop these papers off at my house on your way home? I made last-minute plans to go to Claude’s tonight to study. I don’t want to leave El waiting for her work, though,” Dimitri explained as he handed Hubert a few papers. Hubert nodded, accepting the stack.

“Hubert!” Byleth called out, causing the boy to jump. “Oh, sorry, um, could I come with you? I have some papers for Edelgard, and I would like to make sure she’s doing okay.” She whispered the last part, but Dorothea heard it, grinning at Hubert, who winked back at her.

“Sure. Let’s have a little chat while we walk there,” he said, laughing sinisterly. Byleth gulped. 

* * *

Byleth met with Hubert outside of the school, nodding at each other as they began the walk to Edelgard’s house. Byleth hated to admit it, but Hubert scared her, especially since he was so close to Edelgard. If he disliked her, perhaps that could influence Edelgard’s opinion of her. The only thing that could be heard was their footsteps against the concrete. Hubert cleared his throat, causing Byleth to tense up. “So, Byleth, what are your intentions with Edelgard?” Hubert asked. His face was menacing. 

“Huh?” Byleth asked, wanting to make sure she actually heard what she did. 

“You heard me. What do you intend to do with Edelgard?” Hubert asked. He looked thoroughly annoyed. 

“Um, I, uh,” Byleth stammered. Her face turned red. Her hands began to shake. 

“You like her, don’t you?” Hubert whispered. Byleth looked up to him. Her head nodded slowly. 

“I thought so. Well, we’re here. I’ll wait out here for you to deliver the papers.” 

“You’re not coming in with me?” Byleth asked. Hubert chuckled, shaking his head. 

“I figure you’ll be quick. I’d rather not catch what she has. Go on now.” Hubert shooed her away, pushing her lightly towards the door. She gulped as she walked up to the door, feeling Hubert’s eyes staring into her back. She knocked on the door twice. It opened up. 

“Oh, hello Byleth!” Patricia said, smiling. “Here to drop off schoolwork? Dimitri texted me letting me know someone would be coming by.” Patricia stepped aside, gesturing for Byleth to come inside. “Edie is just resting in her room. I’m sure you know where it is by now.” Byleth nodded, following Patricia to the stairs. “I’ll be in my office. Let me know if you need anything.” Patricia said as she walked away, leaving Byleth by herself. She took a deep breath as she walked up the stairs slowly, trying to avoid making any noise. She hoped Edelgard was awake, so she would not have to face the risk of waking the girl up. 

“Edelgard?” Byleth said as she opened the door slowly, peeking her head in. Edelgard looked over. She was sitting up in her bed, still in her pajamas from the morning. Her face was flushed, and her nose was red. She looked miserable. Byleth wanted to do nothing more than swoop the girl up and hug her until she was better. “Hi,” Byelth waved as she walked in. Edelgard waved then pointed to her throat, signaling that she could not talk. Byleth frowned, “I’m sorry you aren’t feeling well. I hope you get better soon,” she said as she opened her backpack, pulling out the papers that needed to be delivered. “I have the work that you missed today, but don’t force yourself to do it,” Edelgard nodded. 

“Thanks,” Edelgard rasped out, her facing scrunching up in pain. Byleth shook her head. 

“You don’t have to say anything. I know it hurts,” she said, looking at Edelgard’s desk. There was an unopened water bottle. She corked an eyebrow. “El, have you had anything to drink today?” Byleth questioned, staring at the girl. Edelgard looked away, trying to avoid her eyes. Byleth sighed, grabbing the water bottle and taking a seat next to Edelgard on the edge of her bed, unscrewing the cap. “Drink,” she commanded, handing her the bottle. Edelgard shook her head quickly. She whimpered when Byleth squinted her eyes. “Just a little sip, okay?” Byleth said softly. Edelgard took the water bottle, and placed it to her lips, allowing the liquid to flow into her mouth. She pulled the bottle away quickly, sputtering and groaning. Byleth took the bottle back, capping it. “Good girl,” Byleth said as she patted Edelgard’s head, whose cheeks were now a bright red. Byleth stood up, “I better get going. I should let you rest. Feel better soon. I’ll talk to you later,” Byleth said as she walked to the door, looking at Edelgard one last time. She hated to go, but she needed to let Edelgard rest. She felt like she was about to melt from the embarrassment riling up in her body. “Okay, bye!” Byleth waved as she closed the door, making her way out of the house swiftly. Much to her surprise, Hubert was still there. 

“How did it go?” Hubert asked, putting his phone back into his pocket. 

“I gave her all of her papers. That’s all,” Byleth said. 

“Really? Then why are you blushing so much?” Hubert smirked, reaching out and pinching her cheek. 

“I, um, just feel really sad seeing her feel so miserable,” Byleth responded, pulling away from Hubert. 

“If you say so. I’ll see you tomorrow,” Hubert said as he turned, beginning to walk towards his house. Byleth waved, turning the opposite way to make her way to her house.

 _You idiot! Why would you tell him, her closest friend, anything? He’s totally going to tell her._ Byleth held her face in her hands as she groaned. “I’ll just have to tell her before he tells her,” she whispered to herself confidently. Her phone dinged with a new message.

 **Don’t worry, I won’t tell her about our chat today.** Byleth suddenly felt a chill run down her spine. She turned around, wondering if he could read minds. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone!   
> ah i'm so sorry for the lack of frequent updates!! I will hopefully be adding a chapter every day from now on....


	27. Chapter 27

Edelgard had slowly gotten better, but she still was not one hundred percent better. Byleth had made Edelgard promise to take better care of herself, enforcing this by texting her multiple times a day and making sure to remind her to eat or drink. It warmed Edelgard’s heart knowing Byleth cared so much, but it also made her feel guilty. She felt bad forcing Byleth to take up her own time to check in on her. Edelgard regretted taking on so much work so early in the month; she was feeling burned out, but they still had to prepare for finals. She felt pretty confident that she would be fine, but she did not want to be too cocky, so she forced herself to study. 

“Oh wow, you can actually read?” Ferdinand laughed as he sat down at the lunch table. Dorothea had her nose in a textbook.

“Piss off. I gotta finish this,” Dorothea grumbled. “I hate economics.” 

“It’s not that bad, Dorothea. You just never paid attention,” Ferdinand laughed. Dorothea glared at him. She regretted not doing any of the textbook readings. Their professor had told them the final would be based on the lessons from the textbook which they did not fully cover in class.

“Yeah, but who the hell makes a final based on a textbook? How was I supposed to know I  _ actually _ had to read this thing.” She slammed the book shut in frustration. “Anyway, I wanted to tell you all that I reserved a spot at the library in one of their study rooms for this weekend. Maybe we can all have a study date!” 

Edelgard nodded. “That sounds like a good idea, as long as everyone is actually studying,” she said, eyeing Hubert and Ferdinand as well as Dorothea. 

“We will! You don’t have to be jealous cause you’re single,” Dorothea cooed. “I think the reservation is from two o’clock to five o’clock, so that gives us plenty of time!” Edelgard rolled her eyes at Dorothea’s remark. 

* * *

Edelgard walked into the library and smiled at the woman at the desk. She made her way to the back of the library and entered the conference room that had a reserved sign on it. Dorothea, Petra, Hubert, and Ferdinand were sitting at the table. They all looked up as they heard the door shut. 

‘Hey,” Edelgard waved as she placed her book bag down and took a seat across from Hubert. She pulled out her history notes. While it was her favorite subject, she knew the final was going to be horrible. The door opened again. 

“Hi. sorry, I’m late,” Byleth huffed. Her cheeks were flushed. She walked over to the table, placing her bag down and pulling a binder out of her bag. 

“It’s okay, we’re just getting started anyway,” Dorothea said, staring at the vocabulary flashcard Ferdinand was holding up. “I have no idea,” she said, defeated. Ferdinand huffed before flipping the card around, revealing the term. “Oh! I knew that!” she laughed. Ferdinand rolled his eyes. 

Petra was busy writing an essay for English. Hubert looked over her work and made corrections as needed. Dorothea was trying to cram in a whole semester of economics in her brain with the begrudging help of Ferdinand. Edelgard read over her study guide, making sure she could answer each question, rechecking her notes for clarification for questions she was unsure about. She glanced over at Byleth, who was busy rewriting notes into a notebook. Byleth looked up as well, and the two met eyes. She smiled at her. Edelgard felt her face grow hot as she returned the favor. Byleth reached down to her bag and rummaged through it. She placed a plastic water bottle onto the table and slid it over to Edelgard. She looked up at Byleth in confusion. Byleth said nothing, but Edelgard soon realized what she was getting at. She took a sip, and Byleth winked at her. Edelgard’s face was ablaze. She looked down at her notes again, trying to hide her blush. 

Dorothea and Hubert took notice of this, grinning at each other, and breaking into a laugh, which caught the attention of Edelgard and Byleth. “What’s so funny?” Edelgard asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“Nothing, nothing!” Dorothea said, out of breath as she tried to contain her laughter. “Sorry about that! Back to work!” Hubert placed a hand over his mouth as he tried to hide his grin. Byleth and Edelgard shrugged it off and continued to work. 

“I get it now!” Dorothea cheered out as she leaned back into her chair, Ferdinand sighing. 

“It’s about time. This was one of the first things we learned,” 

“Hush. I get it now, and that’s all that matters” She looked at the clock, “Why don’t we take a quick break!” Everyone nodded in agreement, pulling away from their work. 

“That sounds good. I’ll be right back though,” Byleth said as she pushed her chair out, and headed to the bathroom. 

“Edelgard, you like her, correct? Why don’t you just ask her out?” Petra said, looking up from her work. 

“What? Who told you that? Dorothea you-,” Edelgard stammered. Everyone was staring at her. 

“Edie, I told you, it’s obvious. Everyone knows. I didn’t tell anyone. I can promise you that,” Dorothea said. 

“You should just ask her out,” Ferdinand spoke up. “I did it,” he bragged. Edelgard rolled her eyes. 

“It’s really not that simple. Please drop it,” Edelgard said, burying her face in her book. Byleth walked back into the room. 

“Is everything okay?” Byleth asked as she looked at the group, seeing Edelgard’s bright red cheeks. 

“We’re all just fine. Let's get back to work!” Edelgard said. Byleth slowly nodded as she sat down. 

* * *

Dorothea let out a yawn, stretching her arms, she looked up at the clock. It was almost five o’clock. “We should start wrapping it up soon guys,” Dorothea said as she began to collect her belongings. 

“Let's hope you actually pass this exam now. I barely got to work on my own stuff,” Ferdinand grumbled, packing his bag. 

“Now that you helped me I promise I will pass! If I don’t, then I’ll wipe that photo of Hubert from my phone.” Hubert shot his head up at the sound of his name.

“I’ve never wanted someone to fail a test so badly in my life.” Hubert murmured as he reached out to hold Ferdinand's hand. 

“Be nice, guys,” Byleth laughed. “I’m positive we’ll all do well. We’ve been working hard,” she said. The group nodded in agreement as they all began to make their way out of the room. Edelgard and Byleth walked out, shoulder to shoulder. Their hand’s brushed together. Edelgard wanted nothing more than to feel Byleth’s hand in her own, but in the moment she quickly put her hand in her pocket. She worried that she would make Byleth uncomfortable. 

* * *

It was now the day of the finals and Edelgard sat at her desk in her History class, focusing on relaxing before the test. Her legs were bouncing, and her mind was empty when she tried to recall everything she reviewed over the past few days. She felt a hand on her arm. 

“Doing okay?” Byleth asked. Edelgard looked down, shaking her head slightly. She figured it would be better, to be honest. Byleth placed her hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay, you got this.” Edelgard nodded, feeling able to take a proper breath. She smiled at Byleth. They turned their bodies to face forward at the sound of Professor Essar calling everyone’s attention. 

Edelgard’s stomach filled with anxiety as he began to pass the tests around. She looked at Byleth, who shot her a thumbs up. 

“Mr. Gautier, please put your materials away,” Professor Essar said.

“Come on, Teach. This isn’t cheating,” Sylvain laughed. “Why don’t we just call it using our resources?” Professor Essar glared at him. Sylvain immediately put the notebook away. 

“Your test begins now. Do your best,” Professor Essar said as he took a seat at his desk. He watched over the students to make sure there was no cheating. Edelgard worked through the test, ensuring she thoroughly understood each question and prompt.

* * *

“Pencils down, everyone. Mr. Gautier, I said pencils down,” Professor Essar said. Edelgard closed her test booklet, knowing she had put in all of her efforts into it, the only thing she could do now is pray to the gods. She looked over to Byleth, who was currently asleep. Edelgard tapped her lightly but the girl did not stir. “Byleth,” she said as she shook her shoulder. 

“Huh, what?” Byleth said as she woke up, “Oh shit, is the test over?” she exclaimed. She looked at her test booklet. “Oh good, I finished. I was dreaming that I was still taking the test,” she laughed. Edelgard laughed as well. “We finished though!” Byleth cheered quietly as she put her fist out for a fist bump. 

“Yeah, now we go finish the rest of our finals, and wait for the results,” Edelgard sighed, feeling a bit drained from this test. She cringed knowing she had four more finals to take. 

“You’ll do great, I’m sure of it,” Byleth said as she patted Edelgard’s back. She felt unworthy of this attention she was receiving from Byleth. “I’ll see you later. Good luck on the rest of your tests!” Byleth waved, leaving Edelgard’s side so she could get to the Science wing on the opposite side of the school. Edelgard made her way to her English class. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well um hi everyone *debby ryan smirk* I AM SO SORRY!!!!!!!! I am GOING to upload daily from now on until this is finally all uploaded!!! 
> 
> just a fair warning its gonna get worst and worst from here


	28. Chapter 28

Everyone of Edelgard’s friends had passed their exams with flying colors, much to the dismay of Hubert, and went into the second semester of their senior year. Edelgard was lucky to have her Government class with Byleth and Ferdinand. The class became a daily competition between Ferdinand and Edelgard, arguing over who was better for Hubert. Even though Edelgard had no interest in quarrelling, Ferdinand always tried to one-up her when it came to his boyfriend. Byleth also had her Math class with Dorothea, which led to daily teasing and “advice” about her crush. The semester was going off with no problems, at least academic problems. Byleth and Edelgard were still tiptoeing around each other, neither receptive to the idea that the other could like them back. It frustrated Dorothea to no end, but she figured she could use Valentines day to create a plan. 

“What’s everyone doing for Valentine’s Day?” Dorothea asked as she propped her head up on her hand. 

“It’s only the third day of February, Dorothea,” Hubert murmured.

“Exactly! You only have eleven more days to make plans! That’s less than two weeks. I’m taking Petra to dinner and a movie,” Dorothea said. 

“I haven’t made any plans yet,” Hubert said with a sigh.

“Ferdie! How do you feel about that, your boyfriend is neglecting you?” Dorothea gasped.

“No I am not. Do not listen to her, please. Dorothea, will you kindly shut the fuck up?” Hubert stammered. 

“It’s okay, even if you don’t love me, Hubert,” Ferdinand said dramatically, sniffling to make it seem like he was crying. 

“What about you, Byleth?” Dorothea asked, glancing over to Edelgard, who was currently standing at the table where Lorenz was sitting, discussing something with him. “What are you gonna do for her?” 

“Ha ha, very funny, Dorothea. She’s not my girlfriend. Why should I do anything?” Byleth replied, biting into her sandwich. Dorothea groaned, rubbing her temples. 

“I love you, but you are such a headache. I suppose I have to spell it out for you. It would be a great day to ask her out and _make_ her your girlfriend!” Dorothea said excitedly.

“What should I even do?” Byleth asked, her mind drawing a blank. 

“You should make her something! I know! You should try making her some chocolate! Everyone likes chocolate!” 

“But I can just buy chocolate at the store,” Byleth said. 

“It’s more romantic if you make it yourself! Trust me on this,” Dorothea whined. “We’ll talk some more in Math, okay?” Dorothea said as the bell rang.

Byleth and Dorothea were sitting in Math class, working together on a problem together. Dorothea leaned over to whisper to Byleth. “You should really do it, I think it would go well.” Dorothea smiled. 

Byleth finally gave in. “Okay, fine, I’ll do it.” She still did not understand why she even had to do anything, and why she couldn’t simply buy it from the store. She figured she could at least give it a try and give it to Edelgard as a friend.

Dorothea dedicated the majority of her free time to devising a plan for Byleth to make sure she would get Edelgard. On Friday night Dorothea finally revealed her master plan to Byleth. 

**You should take her to this garden! I know it’s the middle of the winter, but it has a really nice path and it’s lit up all romantic and shit! She would love it. You give her the chocolates, plus tell her how you feel, and bam! You two are now a couple!**

Byleth doubted it was going to be that easy, but she would give Dorothea the benefit of the doubt. She figured even if it went wrong, she can’t say she didn’t try. 

**Alright. I’ll make the chocolate tomorrow. I think I have everything I need for it.** Byleth replied, making her way to her kitchen to double check. 

**I have practice for the musical, but I’ll drop by tomorrow afterwards to do a taste test! This is going to be so great!**

_I sure hope so._ Byleth sighed, compiling a list of possible things she could say to Edelgard as she rummaged through her kitchen cabinets. She had all the ingredients. She even found a tray of heart molds for ice cubes that she could use for the chocolates. 

  
  


“What are you doing, kiddo?” Jeralt said as he walked into the kitchen, seeing Byleth looking at her phone intensely, studying what the person in the video was doing. 

“I’m, uh, making chocolate?” Byleth said. 

“For who? You got a crush or something?” He winked. “I used to make chocolates for your mom all the time. They were never any good, but she appreciated it.” Jeralt laughed at the memory.

“Um, yeah. Do you remember that girl that brought me home from the party a few months ago?” Jeralt nodded. “Yeah, I think I have a crush on her,” Byleth said. 

“What do you mean you think? How do you feel about this girl?” Jeralt laughed. 

“Well, I just, I guess,” Byleth tried to think of a meaningful response. “It sounds really weird, but I guess I can just see myself with her for the rest of my life, but then again, I am still young.” Byleth shrugged. 

“Oh kiddo, you got it bad. You definitely have a crush,” Jeralt said. “I felt the same way when I met your mother. I couldn’t imagine life without her,” he said, his voice growing quiet at the thought of his wife. Byleth hugged him. He pulled away. “Alright, that’s enough sympathy for me. I’ll let you get to work. Yell if you need anything.” Byleth nodded, taking a deep breath as she studied the recipe one more time. She worried about possibly messing the chocolates up. She only had enough ingredients to do this once. 

“Three-fourths cup of coconut oil,” Byleth recited aloud as she scooped the oil out of the container, placing it into the pot, and turning the heat on the stove to melt it. She then added the sugar and stirred gently. “Doing good, Byleth,” she said reassuringly to herself. She continued to follow the recipe, stirring everything together until it was the proper consistency. She carefully poured the mixture into the heart molds and placed them into the freezer. She clapped her hands together. “That wasn’t so bad,” Byleth praised herself. “Now, I just have to wait for them to cool, and then Dorothea and I can taste them.” She cleaned up the pot and decided to kill the time by writing down ideas of what she could possibly say to Edelgard. She figured that if her ideas were written out, she could plan better. 

Byleth had filled up about two and a half pages with her ideas. The doorbell rang. , Glancing up at the clock, she realized it was Dorothea, and got up to open the door. 

“Hi!” Dorothea waved. “How is it going?” 

“Alright. I think they should be okay to eat now. It was actually super easy!” Byleth smiled as she led Dorothea to the kitchen. She opened the freezer and pulled the tray out. 

“That is so cute! I love the hearts!” Dorothea said as she watched Byleth pop the chocolates out the mold. “Taste time?” she asked excitedly. Byleth nodded as she handed her chocolate. “Three, two, one!” Dorothea said as they both popped one into their mouths at the same time. 

Byleth knew something was wrong immediately. It did not taste sweet at all. It was extremely salty. 

“By, did you put sugar in this?” Dorothea questioned, her lips puckered at the overwhelming salty taste. Byleth’s eyes went wide. 

“I thought so!” Byleth exclaimed as she looked for the jar of white granules she used. She pulled it out from the cabinet, realizing that when she turned the jar around she could see the word _SALT_ was engraved into it. “Oh my gods,” Byleth dropped her head in defeat. Dorothea tried her hardest not to laugh.

“It’s okay! This can be fixed. You know it’s easy to do. You just have to run to the store this week, and grab some more ingredients! You have one week from tonight. That’s plenty of time!” Dorothea tried to encourage her friend. She walked over to the kitchen counter where she saw the pages Byleth had written on. “This is super cute, by the way. She’ll absolutely love this, I promise.” 

Byleth wanted to shrivel away, feeling so embarrassed for making such a classic mistake. She made a mental note to run out and buy more ingredients once she got the chance over the week. She pulled out her phone, “So I should ask her if she wants to hang out on Valentine's Day?” Dorothea noded. Byleth sent a text to Edelgard, praying that she would accept the invitation.

**Sure, it sounds like fun. Us singles can hang out, haha.** Edelgard responded. Byleth high fived Dorothea. 

“Nice! All you have to do is make the chocolates, man up, and then tell her!” Byleth nodded. 

* * *

It was finally Valentine's Day. Byleth was trying to doll herself up. She was brushing her hair out in an attempt to straighten out her curls. Her phone dinged.

**How did the chocolate come out?** Dorothea texted. Byleth felt her heart sink. “Shit!” she yelled aloud, cursing herself for forgetting to make the chocolate. 

**I have no clue how, but I forgot to make it.** Byleth texted, her stomach filling with anxiety. 

**WHAT? Byleth you’re meeting with her in thirty minutes! How the hell did you forget?** Byleth tried to think up a solution. 

**I’ll stop at the gas station or something and pick something else up I guess.** Byleth sighed as she grabbed her wallet and keys and began to make her way out of the house. She waved goodbye to her dad and checked her phone one last time before she started the car.

**Good luck! Tell me what you come up with later.** Byleth’s stomach was in knots and considered canceling the plans last minute. She shook those thoughts from her head, knowing she needed to be strong. The car started, and she began the drive to the garden, hoping her little pit stop would not make her too late. 

Walking into the gas station, she made her way to the candy aisle, noticing how bare the aisle was. She hoped there would be at least one chocolate bar left. Unfortunately, there wasn’t. She knew running to another store was not an option. As she inspected everything on the shelves, she saw a box of assorted Ring Pops. Grabbing one, she rushed to the front to pay, hoping Edelgard would like the flavor. Practically thrown her cash at the cashier, she rushed out of the gas station and prayed she was not too late

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi again everyone....   
> Happy new year! Sorry for going MIA again hehehehehe 
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed this chapter!


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